Academic Research: Problems Behind Uncertain Future Probed

Abstract

Almost 300 people showed up at the National Academy of Sciences earlier this month to begin what will be a long process of defining the size, shape, and attitudes of academic research as it moves toward an uncertain future. The main reason for the gathering, staged by the academy's Government-University-Industry Roundtable, was to plan for the odious but possible shrinkage of such research. The roundtable is a unit that for the past several years has studied various aspects of the academic research enterprise. Up to last week its chairman was Erich Bloch, former National Science Foundation director. Its new chairman is Richard Celeste, former governor of Ohio, which is one of the leading states in developing science and technology programs for economic development. The theme of the meeting—the future of the U.S. academic research enterprise— derived from a roundtable report called Fateful Choices/' prepared by a special panel headed by Bloch. It said essentially that ...