Appendix C 



Methodology for Preparation of tlie Report 



The initial step in the process of obtaining in- 

 formation for the report on "Basic Research in 

 the Mission Agencies" was the request to agency 

 officials by Dr. Norman Hackerman, Chairman of 

 the National Science Board, in his letter dated 

 December 10, 1976 (see Exhibit I). Accompanying 

 the letter as an enclosure was the draft outline of 

 the report, together with a suggested format for 

 Chapter 2, which is now Part I of the printed re- 

 port (see Exhibit 2). The letter with enclosures 

 was sent to agency officials who had been identi- 

 fied as being responsible for scientific activities in 

 the various mission agencies of the Federal Gov- 

 ernment. (For list of agency officials to whom the 

 December 10 letter was sent, see Exhibit 3). 



The first round of discussions with mission 

 agency contacts, as designated by the recipients 

 of the December 10 letter, was completed by the 

 third week of January 1977. During this round of 

 discussions a set of questions and issues relating 

 to basic research in the mission agencies was giv- 

 en to each agency contact (see Exhibit 4). This set 

 of questions and issues was designed to make 

 more explicit the kinds of information desired for 

 Part 1 (questions A 1-9) and for Chapters 1-9 

 (questions Bl-15). 



During the first round of discussions each agen- 

 cy contact was informed that the time limit for 

 submission of material was three months (in ef- 

 fect, by April 15, 1977); that the submission for 

 Part I should be approximately 5,000 words, ex- 

 clusive of charts, graphs, photographs, tables, 

 etc.; that the Part I submission should be identi- 

 fied by its author(s) or by name of the submitting 

 or approving official. Flexibility was stressed; 

 multiple submissions (of about 5,(X)0 words each) 

 were encouraged in those agencies with substan- 

 tial basic research programs characterized by or- 

 ganizational diversity and/or subject matter com- 

 plexity. 



A second round of discussions was begun some 

 weeks after the first round had been completed. A 

 number of these involved groups of individuals 

 who were brought together by the responsible 

 agency official to enable them to ask questions re- 

 lating to the responses being prepared inside the 

 agency, it was emphasized at each meeting that 

 the Board expected to have the report ready for 

 publication in January 1978. The second round of 

 discussions, involving meetings with some 60-70 

 individuals in the various mission agencies, was 

 essentially completed by the end of March 1977. 



The approach outlined above and the material 

 included in Exhibits 1-4 were reviewed and ap- 



372 APPENDIX C 



proved by the Board Committee on the Tenth 

 NSB Report at its meetings on August 19, 1976, 

 September 17, 1976, November 19, 1976, Febru- 

 ary 3, 1977, and March 17, 1977. 



Many subsequent discussions were held with 

 agency officials during the period April - December 

 1977. The last agency submission was received 

 in December 1977. 



Exhibit 1 — Letter of Dr. Norman Hackerman 

 (Dec. 10, 1976) 



Dear: 



At its meeting in October 1974. the National Sci- 

 ence Board adopted a resolution encouraging mis- 

 sion agencies of the Federal Government to main- 

 tain strong basic research programs in areas that 

 have the potential of contributing to their mission 

 objectives. It was noted at the time that the Na- 

 tional Science Foundation should develop infor- 

 mation on the basic research activities of Federal 

 agencies for use in evaluating the status and needs 

 of the various sciences, in correlating the basic 

 research programs of the Foundation with those 

 undertaken by other agencies of the Federal Gov- 

 ernment, and in recommending those areas that 

 require strengthening. 



The tenth annual report of the National Science 

 Board, due in January 1978, will focus on the top- 

 ic: "Basic Research in the Mission Agencies." 

 Although the Board is naturally concerned about 

 the adequacy of basic research support in the 

 United States, it does not wish to take an advoca- 

 cy position in this report. Rather, the Board wishes 

 to provide an objective assessment of the present 

 status of the basic research which is supported by 

 the Federal Government and carried out in agency 

 laboratories, in universities, in industry, and in 

 nonprofit institutions. 



This repi)rt will embrace much of the statistical 

 information on basic research support which is 

 submitted annually to the Foundation for incor- 

 poration in the Surveys of Science Resources se- 

 ries. However, it is expected that the Board re- 

 port will go beyond the statistical information so 

 as to enable the Federal agencies to portray, by 

 explanation and example, the significant aspects 

 of their basic research activities and the contribu- 

 tions of these activities to agency objectives, to 

 science, and to the national welfare. 



In order to accomplish this purpose, each agency 

 is being asked to provide information to the Foun- 



