Institutional Capabilities 



This chapter presents indicators of the state of the institutional system of science and technology. 

 The indices include aspects of the infrastructure involved in training scientists and engineers; types and 

 numbers of organizations engaged in R&D; composition and patterns of concentrations among these 

 organizations; and expenditures for research equipment and facilities. Indicators of these several 

 aspects are presented in the context of the system of institutions — colleges and universities. Federal 

 installations, and industry — within which the bulk of training and R&D is accomplished. 



The present indicators in this area are incomplete in several respects, primarily because of the lack 

 of current and/or detailed information. No indicators are presented for nonprofit instituticins or for 

 local government; only fragmentary and dated information was available on the number, size, and 

 activities of Federal installations; indicators oi industrial R&D are limited to relatively aggregated 

 aspects of expenditure and manpower; and indices of the state of research equipment and facilities do 

 not include information on the quantity, type, and utilization of scientific instruments and specialized 

 facilities. 



INDICATOR HIGHLIGHTS 



The number of academic institutions award- 

 ing degrees in science and engineering in- 

 creased from some 1,100 in 1'560-61 to 

 almost 1,300 in 196^-70, with the largest in- 

 creases occurring in institutions which 

 awarded master's and Ph.D. degrees. 



Doctoral-granting institutions employed 

 almost 75 percent of all academic scientists 

 and engineers in recent years, and awarded 

 more than 80 percent of all master's degrees 

 in science and engineering and more than 50 

 percent of the bachelor's degrees. 



The 20 institutions awarding the most Ph.D. 

 degrees in science and engineering accounted 

 for a decreasing fraction of all such degrees 

 awarded, down from one-half of the total 

 awards in lPo3 to two-fifths in 1971. Science 

 and engineering graduate enrollments in 

 these institutions declined proportionally 

 over the period. 



Private doctoral institutions awarded a de- 

 creasing proportion of all Ph.D. degrees in 

 science and engineering, falling from 41 per- 

 cent of the total awards in 1'363 to 34 per- 

 cent in 1971. Science and engineering grad- 

 uate enrollments in these institutions peaked 

 in 1969 and declined thereafter, in contrast to 

 the continued growth of such enrollments in 

 public institutions. 



New doctoral programs in existing doctoral 

 departments increased at the net rate of 1 



program per 26 departments during 1970-72; 

 plans for 1972-74 indicate a reduction of the 

 ratio of new additions to 1:66. The largest net 

 increases were in the areas of computer sci- 

 ences and psychology. 



Expenditures for laboratory equipment, pro- 

 vided through research grants from the 

 National Science Foundation and major Na- 

 tional Institutes of Health, declined between 

 1966-71. These expenditures as a fraction of 

 total grant funds, fell from 12 percent to 6 

 percent during the period. 



Federal obligations to universities and 

 colleges for R&D plant and major equip- 

 ment declined 75 percent between 1965 and 

 1971. As a proportion of all Federal obliga- 

 tions for academic science, funds for R&D 

 plant dropped from 8 percent to 1 percent 

 during the period. 



A radio astronomy facility (known as the 

 VLA) authorized and funded in FY 1973 was 

 the first new major research facility started 

 since 1968, although some 30 facilities, in 

 various areas of science, were proposed in 

 recent years and evaluated as technically de- 

 sirable and feasible. 



Federal intramural R&D expenditures in- 

 creased throughout the 1961-72 period, with 

 the Department of Defense accounting for 

 the largest share of such funds, followed by 

 NASA, the Department of Agriculture, and 



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