example, more than three-fourths of the faculty 

 investigators in biochemistry, but only one- 

 fourth of those in sociology, were doing research 

 connected with federally supported projects in 

 1974. 



Proportion of faculty investigators 

 performing R&D connected with Federal 

 grants and contracts, by field, 1974 



Field 



All fields 



Biochemistry 



Physiology 



Microbiology 



Physics 



Electrical engineering 

 Chemical engineering 



Biology 



Geology 



Chemistry 



Zoology 



Psychology 



Mathematics 



Botany 



Economics 



Sociology 



Percent whose 



research was 



federally supported 



56 



78 

 75 

 74 

 72 

 71 

 65 

 62 

 59 

 58 

 52 

 43 

 42 

 42 

 30 

 26 



R&D in industry 



The number of R&D scientists and engineers 

 (on a full-time equivalent basis) in industry was 

 at its highest level in 1969, declined in later years 

 through 1972, and then increased in 1973 and 

 1974, bringing the number to approximately its 

 1971 level (360,000, or 68 percent of all R&D 

 scientists and engineers).-'" The recent increases 

 occurred primarily in the chemical, machinery, 

 and electrical equipment industries; the largest 

 decline since 1969 occurred in the aircraft and 

 missiles industry.-'' These four industries are 

 among the leading industrial employers of R&D 

 scientists and engineers, accounting for almost 

 70 percent of the industrial total in 1974. 



The Federal Government is a major source of 

 support for industrial R&D activities; 32 percent 

 of industrial R&D scientists and engineers were 

 supported by Federal funds in 1974 (figure 5-15). 



^° These and other aspects of industrial R&D are covered 

 more fully in another chapter in this report entitled, 

 "Industrial R&D and Innovation". 



^' See Appendix table 4-9b. 



Figure 5-15 



R&D scientists and engineers' employed in industry, by source of R&D funds, January 1967 and 1974 

 Federally supported aiiousands) Company supported 



170 150 130 110 90 70 50 30 10 10 3D 50 70 90 110 130 150 170 190 210 230 250 



I I I 1 I 



' Fuli-time equivalent basis. 

 SOURCE: National Science Foundation. 



130 



