improving major crops and farming systems, are 

 expensive and difficult to replicate, but when proper 

 circumstances exist, including assured financial 

 support, they have been highly successful. 6 

 Programming committees that represent research 

 organizations and/or the organizations that finance 

 them are the simplest type of institutional 

 collaboration. Although such committees may get a 

 modest budget for staff or "start-up" activities, the 

 participating organizations do most of the work and may 

 even provide limited common services. These kinds of 

 international networks, operating independently of the 

 U.N. system but maintaining cooperative linkages with 

 it, can be a useful complement to the U.N. agency 

 programs. 



This report recommends many new initiatives to 

 increase international research and development, often 

 with preliminary judgments as to the appropriate type 

 of organization. If increased collaboration in a 

 particular field is accepted as a priority initiative, 

 however, further exploration will be needed of specific 

 institutional mechanisms that seem to fit the situation 

 best. 



CONCLUSION 



The United states appears to have an important new 

 opportunity to work with other nations in applying 

 science and technology to development problems, to the 

 benefit of all participants. This new opportunity 

 arises from the juxtaposition of several factors: 



The U.S. research and development community, which 

 commands powerful scientific and technological 

 capabilities relevant to development, is showing 

 greater interest in international collaboration. 

 The United states is reexamining its development 

 assistance programs, opening new prospects for 

 using science and technology more effectively. 

 — Properly managed, international collaboration and 

 exchange can enhance U.S. efforts to sustain the 

 internal dynamism and innovative drive of its 

 economy, even in the face of serious U.S. 

 employment problems, growing resource scarcities, 

 and environmental deterioration. 

 To meet their requirements for technology, 

 developing countries appear to be seeking a two- 

 part strategy of (1) building their own 

 capabilities for research and development, and (2) 

 expanding collaboration among themselves and with 

 the developed countries. 



37 



