This study analyzes a relationship between Data Envelopment Analysis(DEA) efficiency scores and a normalization index in order to examine the validity of DEA models. A normalization index concerned in this study is ‘sales per R&D project fund’ which is regarded as a crucial R&D project performance evaluation index in practice. For this correlation analysis, three distinct DEA models are selected such as DEA basic model, DEA/AR-I revised model(i.e. DEA basic model with Acceptance Region Type I constraints) and Super-Efficiency(SE) model. Especially, SE model is adopted where efficient R&D projects(i.e. Decision Making Units, DMU’s) with DEA efficiency score of unity from DEA basic model can be further differentiated in ranks. Considering the non-normality and outliers, two rank correlation coefficients such as Spearman’s ρ<SUB>s</SUB> and Kendall’s τ<SUB>B</SUB> are investigated in addition to Pearson’s r. With an up-to-date empirical massive dataset of n=482 R&D projects associated with R&D Loan Program of Korea Information Communication Promotion Fund in the year of 2011, statistically significant (+) correlations are verified between the normalization index and every model’s DEA efficiency scores with all three correlation coefficients. Especially, the congruence verified in this empirical analysis can be a useful reference for enhancing the practitioner’s acceptability onto DEA efficiency scores as a real-world R&D project performance evaluation index.