A project that identified more than 1,200 academic and corporate research units within Pennsylvania is described, and a user's guide to the project's data file is provided. The Pennsylvania Research Inventory Project is an online data system designed to promote economic development, particularly within the Appalachian region of the state. The system provides information on personnel, organizational units, areas of specialization, level of activity, and facilities and equipment. The target audience is the business-oriented user, particularly those exploring new areas of activity or contemplating a change of location. Uses of the reference file include: generating specialized mailing lists, locating specialized research activities, identifying the sites of equipment and facilities, summarizing regional patterns of research, identifying individuals with specific competencies, and providing a cross-reference between academic and industrial research. The project employs the Stanford Public Information Retrieval Systems (SPIRES), which is described in the user's guide. Sample letters to research groups, survey forms, and standard industrial classification codes are appended. (SW)