Some research is just analysing technology brought from Earth, some is original research (which takes longer). Some research directly leads to new usable technologies, some are just prerequisites for other research. Research is accomplished by scientists - educated people requiring years of studies to effectively work, as well as their assistants, who are usually scientists-in-making - students at the university - or simply “technical personnel”.
Inseparable from research is development. Where researchers introduce new theories and their implications, engineers design the actual devices, be they new vehicles or buildings. Actual design has to work with where a technology is meant to be applied, what kind of demands are there on maintenance, efficiency, crew, durability and reliability, and of course, how much materials, energy and time will be required to construct them. The commander specifies the required parameters and it’s up to the engineers to prepare an actual design, ready for prototyping and eventual mass production (if required). Parts of designs can also be reused - for example, it may be beneficial to share the same chassis between each “generation” of vehicles, to ease in manufacture and to allow certain level of modularity. Some parts of designs may also be changed without changing the whole, thus allowing refits and again, lowering costs of design and production.