APPENDIX B 



INTRODUCTION 



Agency-specific relationships to the RIUs encompass several dimensions. As mentioned above, the Federal 

 government uses many different funding mechanisms to sponsor research, extending from the "support" mode to the 

 "procurement" mode. 



Another dimension of the relationship is reflected by the kind of research unit that agencies typically support. 

 The major science agencies support both individual investigators and small groups, but not in the same proportions. 

 On the other end of the spectrum, some agencies, the Department of Energy for one, contract with RIUs to manage 

 large research facilities, such as national laboratories. 



A third dimension is the disciplinary distribution of funded research. NSF provides broad-based infrastnictural 

 support for all science and engineering disciplines, while most other agencies support or procure the services of a 

 mix of disciplines, the mix being specific to each program. 



Funding decision processes also vary widely. Federal agency research awards are predominantly competitive, 

 but the practice varies by agency. For example, most of the Department of Agriculture's academic research funds are 

 allocated by Congressionally-legislated formulae, though the share of competitive research support to individual in- 

 vestigators has grown from zero to over one-third in the last two decades. 



Competitive awards are themselves determined by a continuum of methods across and within agencies, ranging 

 from predominantly extramural peer review to, predominantly, the judgement of the internal research manager. For 

 example, extramural peer review plays less of a role in fiinding decisions in DOD than in NSF and NIH. In addition, 

 the weight of program officers' judgement varies. 



Nearly all agencies provide some form of graduate fellowships. A number of agencies provide research assis- 

 tantships. Across agencies, programs vary in terms of eligibility criteria, selection processes, objectives, and size and 

 form of awards. 



This Appendix provides more detail on agencies' relationships with RIUs. 



AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT 

 (A.LD.) PERSPECTIVE 



General Description of the Current Relationship: 



Currently, A.l.D. contracts for university technical services in agriculture, health, economics and other fields. 

 A.I.D. recently established the Agency Center for University Cooperation in Development in recognition of the 

 major resource they represent. The Center encourages A.I.D. use of universities and to help build new long-lasting 

 ties with institutions in developing countries defined around development issues of joint interest and mutual benefit. 



Under A.I.D.'s Thomas Jefferson Fellowship Program, the Agency presently supports about 8000 students from 

 developing countries at over 700 colleges and universities, including nearly all of the research-intensive institutions. 



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