NSF: “Directions in Science and Technology Policy”

A recent “Congressional Report” (NSB 93-288) prepared by the National Science Foundation’s Office of Legislative and Public Affairs, for the National Science Board, provides insight on how NSF sees its role evolving. The following selections are from a section of this report entitled “Directions in Science and Technology Policy":

“A consensus has developed that it is time to revisit the compact between government and the academic research community that has served the Nation so well since the end of World War II.

“Why is this consensus developing now? Certainly the end of the Cold War is forcing a reexamination of many basic societal and political assumptions. However, for at least a decade there has been a growing concern that federal science and technology policy lacks a crucial focus while American pre-eminence in many areas no longer can be taken for granted.”

”...NSF also is recognizing [in addition to its role of supporting basic research] the growing emphasis on setting priorities in research and connecting research to larger national goals.”

“Some researchers fear that efforts to connect new knowledge to potential applications will come at the expense of support for individual investigators. NSF programs to promote research activities in the states, to encourage research in small businesses, and to form research partnerships with industry, for example, are viewed by some researchers as lessening the agency’s obligation to the academic research community,

“This, however, is not the case. In reality, NSF is pursuing these activities in addition to -- not instead of -- its traditional support of research in university settings. These activities also permit the Foundation to make the case to the public and to Congress that it is doing more than sponsoring the discovery of new knowledge; it is also supporting the integration of research and research institutions into the broader community.

“Both the Clinton Administration and Congress have shown a strong interest in strengthening the links between the federal investment in basic research and progress toward meeting national goals....”

“The new context for research will de-emphasize distinctions between basic and applied research. Instead, it will pay greater attention to the program content in which the research is occurring -- contexts that are relevant to national goals in education, energy, manufacturing, communications or health.

“Setting this new context will entail a broader consideration of the process of scientific discovery, its relationship to the diffusion of knowledge, and its connections with technological innovation. It gives NSF and the academic community an opportunity (and an obligation) to clarify the links between investments in R&D and benefits to society.”

“The watchword for science and technology policy in the new Administration is investment. The value of research will be measured not simply in terms of budget growth but by its role in advancing clear objectives in the environment, education, computing and communications, manufacturing, health care, and, by implication, in creating an agile workforce that can sustain economic growth in a world where competition changes very rapidly.”

“What changes does this new context portend for NSF? In some respects, the changes will be minimal. NSF will continue to focus on its central responsibility of supporting excellent basic research, providing training for scientists, engineers and technologically competent workers, and improving science literacy among general public. However, NSF also will work harder to identify opportunities to build new partnerships between academic researchers and the private sector. More than that, NSF will continue to demonstrate the utility and success of these partnerships. And all of this must occur in an increasingly constrained budget environment.

“It can be done. It will require NSF to establish clearer priorities. It will require greater efficiencies in making the connections between the discovery, the transmittal, and the integration of new knowledge into new technology. And it will require NSF and the academic community to provide better assessments of their successes to Congress and to the public.

“It is important also to consider the big picture -- to look for ways to make connections between nodes in the complex web of science/education/technology and well-articulated national goals. Congress has indicated that making these connections is not a matter of momentary political expedience. Nor will it accept a case built on faith. What is needed is a long-term strategy to make these connections obvious. It would be a monumental mistake to assume that enduring public support for ever-growing levels of federally-sponsored science can be taken for granted.”