There are other sources of support for 

 research equipment within the Federal Govern- 

 ment as well as the private sector, but informa- 

 tion on the extent and other characteristics of 

 such support is not available. General concern, 

 however, has been expressed by the scientific 

 community that funds for laboratory equipment 

 have been deficient in recent years, with the 

 result that the quality of research instrumenta- 

 tion is declining. Information appearing to 

 substantiate this concern was obtained in a 1971 

 study of equipment needs in universities. The 

 study concluded that research equipment was 



inadequate in each of the 10 scientific fields 

 surveyed, and estimated the amount required to 

 fill immediate needs to be some $275 million in 

 these fields. 1* 



R&D plant 



Resources in this area go for the acquisition, 

 construction, and major repair of R&D facilities, 

 as well as for the purchase of large fixed 

 equipment such as reactors, wind tunnels, and 

 radio telescopes. Data are available for only one 

 source of support for R&D plant — the Federal 

 Government. Funds from this source, however, 

 are believed to represent a large part of the total 

 investment in this area, although the relative 

 size of the Federal role may vary among different 

 sectors. 



Federal expenditures for R&D plant are 

 shown in figure 2-14. The rapid growth of 

 expenditures during the early 1960's was due 

 almost entirely to the expansion of intramural 

 facilities of the National Aeronautics and Space 

 Administration (NASA); the decline in later 

 years reflects, largely, the completion of these 

 facilities. The up-turn in expenditures after 1972 

 was produced by increased spending on the part 

 of the Atomic Energy Commission, NASA, and 

 the Department of Health, Education, and 

 Welfare; funds from these agencies were 

 directed in the main to industry and Federal 

 intramural facilities. 



In recent years, over three-fourths of the 

 Federal support for R&D plant has been 

 allocated to two sectors — Federal intramural 

 laboratories and industry (figure 2-15). The 

 intramural laboratories received 42 percent of 

 the funds in 1974, industry 35 percent. Federally 

 Funded Research and Development Centers 

 (FFRDC's) administered by universities 14 

 percent, universities and colleges 5 percent, and 

 other nonprofit institutions 4 percent. 



Federal support for R&D plant has not kept 

 pace with funds for total R&D, as is shown in 

 figure 2-16, which presents the relationship 

 between Federal funds for R&D plant as a 

 percent of total Federal obligations for R&D. 

 The early rise and latter decline in this ratio for 



•^ Survey ol Research Equipment Neeih in Ten Academic Disciplines, 

 National Science Foundation and National Academy of 

 Sciences, 1972. 



'" Data for those FFRDC's administered by industry and 

 other nonprofit institutions are not separately available. 



45 



