The executive body of the GKNT is the Collegium, 

 composed of fewer than 2Q members and chaired by G.I. 

 Marchuk, the Chairman of the State Committee. Be- 

 sides the various deputy chairmen, the heads of cer- 

 tain departments and divisions plus a few Academi- 

 cians make up the membership. The Collegium meets 

 weekly and examines all problems that come before the 

 GKNT. Though the Collegium acts as an advisory body, 

 its decisions become decrees signed by Kirillin, and 

 its orders are followed by all departments of the 

 State Committee. 



A simplified scheme of the internal organization 

 of the GKNT is presented in Figure 9-4. In addition 

 to various functional divisions charged with hand- 

 ling international liaison, information dissemina- 

 tion, science organization, and other tasks, depart- 

 ments have been established to monitor S&T develop- 

 ments in particular branches of industry, such as 

 chemicals and machine building. Functioning under 

 the GKNT is also an elaborate network of advisory 

 bodies which assist in the analysis of institutional 

 and policy problems of science and technology. Inte- 

 gral to this special consultative machinery are more 

 than 60 scientific councils on major interbranch S&T 

 problems, such as oceanography, new welding proces- 

 ses, and catalysis and its industrial utilization. 

 Some 5,500 persons participate in the work of these 

 councils, including nearly 160 academicians and cor- 

 responding members of the USSR and republic academies 

 of sciences, more than 1000 doctors of science and 

 about 1600 candidates of science. 10 The councils 

 monitor and forecast developments in a particular 

 field of science and technology, and/or progress in 

 solving important, national engineering and economic 

 problems . 



The GKNT, as suggested by the above description, 

 is the principal state agency concerned with overall 

 S&T policy and performance. While possessing limited 

 direct authority over the actual conduct of research, 

 development, and innovation, the GKNT exercises im- 

 portant guidance and liaison functions for other min- 

 istries and agencies in R&D planning, coordination, 

 and performance. 



38 



