Architects or Obstacles? Federal Agencies Role in Healthcare's Next Chapter.

The relations between governments and universities, particularly with respect to science and technology, is traced from the agricultural period and the land-grant era to the research and development era involving particularly the fields of medicine and defense, to the modern era which is lacking a coherent national policy. Among the institutional relations that are critical to science, technology, and public administration, those involving government-university linkages stand out. In the past, there have been two major eras of government/university relations: the land-grant era and the federal mission agency era. More recently, a third era has emerged—what we call the new federalist era. The first period featured a decentralized institutional model focused on a single economic sector: agriculture. The second was characterized by a more centralized federally dominated approach. This third era is still evolving. Its primary ingredients include university ties with many segments of industry. And government includes that as well as federal agency roles. During the land-grant era, dating from 1862, a large number of universities, devoted initially to problems of agriculture and the mechanical arts, were created. The era was characterized by a research system involving a federal agency, state government, universities, and an industry of individuals with little or no research capability. It was a highly decentralized system, responsive to multiple needs throughout the country, with a heavy emphasis on technology transfer. It gave the initial impetus to the university in fashioning an applied role. Whatever else may be said about this system—good or bad—it certainly made the American agricultural industry more productive. In the federal mission agency era, dating from World War II, federal agencies spent vast sums to pursue national goals in defense, space, energy, and other fields by creating programs supporting universities. On the expectation there would eventually be practical payoffs, federal agencies supported basic research largely on the universities’ terms. States were not involved in any significant degree. Industry was, of course, very much a part of this system, but in the case of defense and space, it was primarily as developers of technology for government rather than users of technology for civilian goals. This system worked unevenly. The greatest continuity was the Department of Defense (DOD) as a sponsor of research and development, including research in universities. That is what was seen as a problem in the era of Vietnam. For many critics, it is a problem today, with Star Wars merely the most dramatic example of a too close university involvement with DOD. There were discontinuities in most of the areas of federal mission agency support. At the time of Minnowbrook I, the desire was to redeploy science and technology to other mission areas that would improve the human condition. The process was difficult, as various domestic agencies had problems establishing and maintaining relations with science and technology. In the 1980s, most of the civilian programs were cut back and the energy program was slated to be eliminated altogether. Today, the United States research system, and thus the government-university partnership, is in a new-federalist era of science and technology. Here, the federal government, state governments, industry, and universities cooperate and collide as each tries to make the most of several new technologies now emerging with a perceived high economic potential. Meanwhile, the university-DOD relationship has been rebuilt after a decade of rupture. In an environment of increasing global competition, the old institutional models are giving way to novel arrangements. What has happened is that a new mission—a new problem or opportunity—has become more salient in the 1980s. This is the mission of economic development and competitiveness. Economic competitiveness is a broad and diffuse mission. The juxtaposition of this mission with science and technology is because a good part of this competition is expected to be waged on the frontier of new technology. Japan, in particular, has made technological leadership in the cluster of fields cited above a national imperative, and other nations are following suit.(1) No federal mission agency is clearly identified with, much less in charge of, a mission. Indeed, the mission has not been officially proclaimed but exists only as a rallying cry. The question to be resolved is whether the present scattered response is enough, or if a more comprehensive national policy should be established. If established, should a new federal mission agency be set in motion to lead the assault—perhaps one modeled after the Japanese MITI? If so, how would it relate to the other players? Given the role of the states in particular, it would seem that a cooperative model drawing on federal and state resources might be designed.

Antitrust Risk in Practice Mergers: A Framework for Evaluation

Around the world, governments make substantial investments in public sector research and development (R&D) entities and activities to generate major scientific and technical advances that may catalyze long-term economic growth. Institutions ranging from the Chinese Academy of Sciences to the French National Centre for Scientific Research to the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers conduct basic and applied R&D to create commercially valuable knowledge that supports the innovation goals of their respective government sponsors. Globally, the single largest public sector R&D sponsor is the U.S. federal government. In 2019 alone, the U.S. government allocated over $14.9 billion to federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs), also known as national labs. However, little is known about how federal agencies’ utilization of FFRDCs, their modes of R&D collaboration, and their adoption of non-patent intellectual property (IP) policies (copyright protection and materials transfer agreements) affect agency-level performance in technology transfer. In particular, the lack of standardized metrics for quantitatively evaluating government entities’ effectiveness in managing innovation is a critical unresolved issue. We address this issue by conducting exploratory empirical analyses of federal agencies’ innovation management activities using both supply-side (filing ratio, transfer rate, and licensing success rate) and demand-side (licensing income and portfolio exclusivity) outcome metrics. We find economically significant effects of external R&D collaborations and non-patent IP policies on the technology transfer performance of 10 major federal executive branch agencies (fiscal years 1999–2016). We discuss the scholarly, managerial, and policy implications for ongoing and future evaluations of technology transfer at federal labs. We offer new insights and guidance on how critical differences in federal agencies’ interpretation and implementation of their R&D management practices in pursuit of their respective missions affect their technology transfer performance outcomes. We generalize key findings to address the broader innovation processes of public sector R&D entities worldwide.

Perhaps the most significant milestone in the United States Government’s advancement of indigenous knowledge in the 21st century was the recently released White House First-of-a-Kind Indigenous Knowledge Guidance for Federal Agencies. The Government Wide Guidance for Federal Departments and Agencies on Indigenous Knowledge was released on November 30, 2022, with the primary objective of equipping federal agencies and departments with clear directions on respectfully acknowledging and integrating Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge in their decision-making processes.There is an urgent need for the Department of Education to integrate Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) into K-12 curricula. The need has never been greater for inclusive and honest discussions within educational spaces regarding the importance and value of indigenous knowledge. This article offers many possible solutions to the absence of Traditional Ecological Knowledge in K-12 curricula as developed and practiced by Indigenous Peoples. This paper seeks to advance this objective by critically reviewing the Government Guidance, exploring the importance of TEK in K-12 curricula and drawing from examples around the world, emphasizing countries that effectively integrate TEK and uphold the voices of Indigenous Peoples in the classroom.The paper first presents a critical overview of the “Guidance for Federal Departments and Agencies on Indigenous Knowledge.” It goes on to address the issue of the dearth of TEK in K-12 curricula. It follows with a call to action to the Department of Education on ways to implement techniques included in the “Guidance for Federal Departments and Agencies on Indigenous Knowledge,” as well as other possible solutions. After proffering solutions, the paper acknowledges places worldwide that have already attempted to integrate TEK in K-12 curriculum, before the concluding paragraph.

NIH Launches Emergency Care Research Office: Coordinating Center Lauded but Challenges Noted

This qualitative, instrumental case study explored existing instructional design practices as related to the accessibility of synchronous, virtual instructional content for adult learners with disabilities within a federal government agency. The purpose of study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of a group of learning professionals within a federal government agency community of practice and to examine the instructional design processes that currently exist within this group. Nine learning professionals participated in individual, semi-structured interviews and provide information regarding their experiences designing and delivering instruction and the accessibility features that are associated with such instruction. Six of the nine learning professionals submitted instructional artifacts from past synchronous, virtual learning events for content analysis; these artifacts were audited to determine the degree of accessibility. Five of the nine learning professionals who participated in the study were self-identified employees with disabilities who provided critical data about their experiences as both participants in and creators of instructional content. This study further explored these learning professionals' backgrounds, current practices, and the barriers that make it difficult to make synchronous, virtual learning events accessible for employees with disabilities. The qualitative data gathered from individual interviews and instructional artifacts was analyzed through various coding methods and themed to assist in understanding accessibility in synchronous, virtual instruction within the federal government agency that was the focus of this study. The results of this data analysis provided information that federal agencies and other government, corporate, and nonprofit organizations can apply to their own instructional design organizations can use to make accessibility a part of the instructional design process rather than merely add accessible features to instructional content after its creation in response to requests for accommodation.

In consultation with the Secretary of the Department of the Interior, every Federal agency is responsible for developing an effective historic preservation program. The purpose of this program is to identify, evaluate, and nominate historic properties to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), provide protection of historic properties, under the jurisdiction or control of the agency as well as those properties not under the auspices of the agency but subject to be potentially affected by agency-permitted actions. The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) also requires that agency preservation-related activities are carried out in consultation with other Federal, State, and local agencies, Indian tribes, Native Hawaiian Organizations (NHO), and the private sector, and that the procedures for compliance with Section 106 of the Act be consistent with regulations issued by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP). Furthermore, the Act stipulates that an agency may not grant assistance, a license or permit to an applicant who damages or destroys a historic property with the intent of avoiding the requirements of Section 106. This paper will discuss the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement's (BOEMRE) Historic Preservation Program in the Gulf of Mexico Region (GOMR), and highlight how the agency conducts its regulatory responsibility under the National Historic Preservation Act with respect to oil and gas development on the Outer Continental Shelf. Introduction The Department of the Interior's (DOI), Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), is the federal agency responsible for overseeing the safe and environmentally responsible development of energy and mineral resouces on the Outer Continetal Shelf (OCS). As such, the BOEMRE is responsible for Historic Preservation throughout the Federal waters on the OCS. Historic Preservation Every Federal agency is responsible for developing an effective historic preservation program in consultation with the Secretary of the Department of the Interior. These Federal historic preservation programs shall be coordinated by each agency's Federal Preservation Officer. The preservation and use of historic properties and their careful consideration in agency planning and decision making are in the public interest, are consistent with the declaration of policy set forth in the NHPA, and must be a fundamental part of the mission of any Federal Agency (NPS and ACHP 1998).

The role of tribal and state government in environmental protection and regulation is an important complement and supplement to that of the federal government. This was found to be evident during the Problem Oil Pit (POP) effort conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region VIII and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Region VI. When the two federal agencies decided to join forces to address the problem of oil-covered pits and other environmental problems in oil fields, it quickly was determined that a collaborative approach would be required to address the problems that might be encountered. EPA and USFWS were aware that tribes and states, as well as other federal agencies, have their own responsibilities in the oilfield. Both agencies were also sensitive to the sovereignty of the tribes and states. Therefore, EPA and USFWS knew it was vital for success to enlist the concurrence, support, and participation of the tribes, states, and other federal agencies in the effort. Thus the POP effort became multilevel as well as multiagency when those tribal, state, and federal agencies with responsibility for and authority over the oil and gas exploration and production industry joined the EPA and USFWS as partners in the POP effort. This collaborative effort did not come about without the resolution of some issues and problems related to authorities, responsibilities, and sovereignty. However, cooperation and coordination between tribal, state, and federal governmental agencies in the POP effort resulted in short- and long-term environmental benefits that protect human health, birds, and wildlife and the environment.

This qualitative study aims to understand how personnel in state and federal agencies view surveillance systems and the extent to which systematically collected data inform nutrition and physical activity policies and interventions addressing obesity. In-depth interviews were conducted with 17 respondents purposively sampled from state health departments, federal public health agencies, and prevention research centers. All informants acknowledged the importance of surveillance systems and influence of the data-action cycle for monitoring trends and increasing obesity awareness. However, state-level respondents believed surveillance systems should be designed for programmatic purposes, whereas federal participants thought they should be designed for monitoring. Respondents held differing opinions about the flexibility, timeliness, accessibility, and usefulness of existing national surveillance systems, highlighting significant differences in state and federal agencies' perceptions and utilization of surveillance systems. Such discrepancies call for increased communication surrounding purposes and uses of surveillance data, enabling stronger partnerships between state and federal agencies.

The study investigates whether the proportion of U.S. federal civil service agencies with representative workforces has increased between 1982 and 1990. The study reveals several important findings: 1) the proportion of federal agencies with representative workforces remained constant between 1982 and 1990, 2) a significant number of agencies continue to have racially unrepresentative workforces with respect to the total U.S. minority population and individual minority groups, and 3) during the years 1982 and 1990, American-Indians experienced the most racial integration in U.S. federal agencies in comparison to African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and Hispanics. The study also indicates that Hispanics continue to be drastically under-represented in a large percentage of U.S. federal agencies.

Investigators and institutions have begun to prepare for new federal protections of study participants set to take effect in 2018.

Historic management actions authorized or allowed by federal land management agencies have had a profound negative effect on salmon, trout, and char populations and their habitats. To rectify past failings, in the 1990s, federal agencies in the Interior Columbia River Basin modified how they conducted land management activities to foster the conservation of aquatic species. The primary policy changes were to provide additional protection and restoration of lands near streams, lakes, and wetlands. What remains uncertain was whether these changes have altered the trajectory of stream habitat conditions. To address this question, we evaluate the status and trends of ten stream habitat attributes; wood frequency, wood volume, residual pool depth, percent pool, pool frequency, pool tail fines (< 6 mm), median particle size, percent undercut banks, bank angle, and streambank stability in managed and reference catchments following changes in management policies. Our review of these data support the hypothesis that changes made in management standards and guidelines in the 1990s are related to improved stream conditions. Determining the precise magnitude of changes in stream conditions that resulted from the modification of land management policies is difficult due to the shifting environmental baseline. By understanding and accounting for how changes in stream conditions reflect improved land management policies and broader environmental trends, federal agencies will be better situated to make project level decisions that benefit aquatic resources.

This exploratory case study evaluates how effectively federal agencies share terrorism intelligence with fusion centers through interviews with senior leaders, federal agents deployed to fusion centers, and intelligence analysts working in fusion centers. Findings indicated that information sharing was hindered by both technology and inter-organizational relationships between the fusion centers and federal agencies. This study recommends enhanced information sharing approaches in order to alleviate the tension between federal and local agencies and remove obstacles, particularly related to classified intelligence related to counterterrorism. Doing so can improve the dynamics between federal and local agencies, thereby allowing critical information to be shared with state and local governments in a proactive manner that may better protect communities from catastrophic terrorist attacks.

A large amount of remotely sensed data has been acquired over many areas of the world, but it is difficult for an individual to identify sources of existing data and to determine coverage, imagery characteristics, availability, and costs. Many federal and state agencies do not distribute descriptions of remotely sensed data holdings to the public. A comprehensive survey conducted by J. R. May in 1978 identifies many sources of these data in federal and state organizations. The U.S. Geological Survey's EROS Data Center (EDC) is the national distribution facility for LANDSAT and other remotely sensed data products. Data stored at EDC at the end of 1978 included over 1,200,000 frames of LANDSAT imagery; over 56,000 images from Skylab, Apollo, and Gemini; over 1,400,000 images from the NASA research aircraft programs; and over 3,300,000 aerial mapping photographs from the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of Commerce, and other federal agencies. Availability and End_Page 505------------------------------ characteristics of data stored at EDC can be determined by requesting a geographic computer search using latitude and longitude of the area of interest. A new all-digital system for handling and processing LANDSAT data is in operation at EDC. The data are radiometrically corrected for detector gain and offset and geometrically corrected to a Space Oblique Mercator (SOM) map projection, using cubic convolution resampling techniques. Upon request, the user can obtain data which are corrected to the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) or Polar Stereographic (above 65° lat.) map projections with the nearest neighbor resampling technique. The user may also request geometrically uncorrected high-density digital tapes. When placing an order for LANDSAT image products, the user may select or omit contrast and edge enhancements. Film and digital tape products from the LANDSAT multispectral scanner system (MSS) and return beam vidicon (RBV camera are available in a variety of formats and scales. LANDSAT data over areas outside the United States are available at EDC; these data are acquired by receiving stations in Canada, Brazil, Italy, and Iran and are also available from these countries. Scale, format, and prices of LANDSAT products from foreign receiving stations are similar to those distributed by EDC. Other federal and state agencies duplicate aerial photographs for users on request. Scale, area coverage, and film type vary. The most common aerial photography is panchromatic at a scale of about 1:20,000 and in a 9 × 9-in. format. Some color and color infrared photographs also may be available. End_of_Article - Last_Page 506------------

This report documents the economic impact of heavy truck traffic related to energy development on the nation’s roads and bridges. Strategies used by transportation agencies to minimize and pay for the damage caused by heavy loads are also documented. Information used in this study was acquired through a review of the literature, a survey of state transportation agencies, and interviews with selected federal and tribal agencies. Follow-up interviews with multiple agencies in five states selected for further study provided additional information. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the report. Chapter 2 presents a literature review of energy development activities in the United States, highlighting energy development industries in the U.S., costs and revenue sources for public agencies, impacts on public roads and bridges as a result of energy development, strategies used by federal agencies and states, practices reported by federal agencies, and practices reported by tribal nations. Chapter 3 summarizes a survey on energy development impact on state and local roads and bridges, highlighting impact on infrastructure, engineering tools and design standards, economic impacts of energy development on roads and bridges, tools used to assess costs, impacts on roadway safety and operations, and defining the challenges to agencies. Chapter 4 presents case examples of state and local practices used to address energy development impacts in Colorado, Iowa, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and Texas. Chapter 5 presents a conclusion and identifies knowledge gaps.