Basic Research 



INDICATOR HIGHLIGHTS 



The Nation's total expenditures for basic 

 research rose continually during the 1960- 

 74 period in current dollars; in constant 1967 

 dollars, funds for basic research in 1974 

 were equal to the 1965 level, and almost 13 

 percent lower than the peak year of 1968. 



Universities accounted for approximately 55 

 percent of the Nation's total expenditures 

 for basic research in 1974 (versus 37 percent 

 in 1960), followed by the Federal Govern- 

 ment and private industry at some 15 

 percent each, and other sectors with the 

 remainder. 



The Federal Government provided the 

 largest share of support for basic research 

 during the 1960-74 period, increasing from 

 nearly 60 percent of all such funds in 1960 to 

 almost 70 percent in 1974; industry's share 

 declined from 28 percent in 1960 to 15 

 percent in 1974, and the universities' share 

 increased from 6 to 11 percent over this 

 period. 



Funds provided by the Federal Government 

 for basic research increased each year 

 (except for 1971) in current dollars, but 

 declined 13 percent between 1968 and 1974 

 in constant dollars; the largest reductions in 

 constant dollars were recorded in the 

 physical sciences which declined ap- 

 proximately 25 percent between 1969 and 

 1974. 



University expenditures for basic research 

 (from all sources of support) rose con- 

 tinuously in current dollars between 1960- 

 74, but declined some 5 percent in constant 

 dollars between 1968 and 1974; this decline 

 is due to reduced growth of Federal support 

 in combination with inflation. 



Basic research expenditures by academic 

 institutions in 1974 were concentrated in 

 the life sciences (51 percent of all expen- 

 ditures), engineering (12 percent), physical 



sciences (13 percent), social sciences (8 

 percent), and the environmental sciences (7 

 percent). 



Federal support for basic research in univer- 

 sities, which accounted for 70 percent of all 

 such funds in 1974, increased in current 

 dollars between 1964-74 in the broad fields 

 of science and engineering; the level of 

 research effort as reflected by constant 

 dollar expenditures, however, was lower in 

 each field in 1974 than in previous years, 

 with the largest reductions occurring in 

 engineering and the physical sciences. 



Federal support for universities in 1974 was 

 provided primarily through six agencies — 

 NSF, HEW, DOD, USDA, AEC, and 

 NASA — with no more than two agencies 

 supplying at least 70 percent of all Federal 

 basic research support in each major field of 

 science; the NSF provided either the largest 

 or second largest amount of funding among 

 these agencies in each field. 



Expenditures for basic research per scientist 

 and engineer in doctorate-granting in- 

 stitutions were almost 30 percent lower in 

 constant dollars in 1974 than in 1968; the 

 largest decline was in physics, where reduc- 

 tions were nearly 40 percent from 1966 to 

 1974. 



Federal laboratories accounted for 16 per- 

 cent of the total national expenditures for 

 basic research in 1974; current dollar 

 expenditures by these laboratories increased 

 throughout most of the 1960-74 period, but 

 the level of research effort in terms of 

 constant dollars was some 20 percent lower 

 in 1974 than in 1970, the year of highest real 

 expenditures. 



Private industry was responsible for 16 

 percent of the total national expenditures 

 for basic research in 1974; although current 

 dollar expenditures have risen, particularly 

 since 1972, inflation reduced real expen- 



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