Bureau of Mines 



The Bureau of Mines does all its basic research, 

 estimated at $800,000 for 1977, in its 13 laborato- 

 ries. The Assistant Director for Metallurgy has 

 eight of these and the Assistant Director for Min- 

 ing has five. Each is headed by a research direc- 

 tor. When a vacancy arises, the Assistant Direc- 

 tor makes a recommendation for filling it but the 

 Office of the Secretary has final approval. The 

 program of each laboratory is determined by the 

 Assistant Director but the laboratory research 

 director decides how to accomplish the desired 

 result. The tasks assigned are usually applied re- 

 search but the research director may do such ba- 

 sic work as is necessary to support it. Although 

 he does not need prior permission, his judgment is 

 reviewed after the fact. Some of the laboratories 

 do little or no basic research, but the Mining Re- 

 search Center in Pittsburgh, Pa., and the Metal- 

 lurgy Research Center in Albany, Oreg., do more 

 than others. 



National Parl< Service 



The National Park Service reports 37 percent of 

 its $619,000 basic research program for 1977 as 

 intramural. The research is done in-house when 

 sufficient manpower is available within a park to 

 do the work; the park itself is the laboratory. 

 Proposals for research originate with the Park 

 Superintendent, who may or may not have scien- 

 tists on his staff. Proposals then go to the appro- 

 priate regional headquarters, where they are re- 

 viewed by the Regional Chief Scientist, who for- 

 wards those he approves to headquarters in 

 Washington for final approval. Work is performed 

 by a park scientist if one with the necessary quali- 

 fications is on the park staff. If not, the Regional 

 Chief Scientist contracts for the work, usually 

 with a university. A Regional Chief Scientist va- 

 cancy is filled by the Regional Director, who con- 

 sults with the Chief Scientist in Washington on 

 the final selection. 



Bureau of Reclamation 



The Bureau of Reclamation has a very small 

 program of basic research, estimated at $70,000 

 for 1977, all of it currently intramural. The labora- 

 tories, located in Denver at the Engineering and 

 Research Center, are under the Director of Gen- 

 eral Research, who reports to the Assistant 

 Commissioner for Resource Development in 

 Washington. Vacancies in the laboratories or in 

 the Director's billet are acted upon by the imme- 

 diate supervisor, but all higher level positions 

 require the approval of the Commissioner of the 

 Bureau. Suggestions for new research are encour- 

 aged from all levels of the Bureau. Decisions as 



to what will be done are made annually by the 

 Research Review Committee at headquarters, 

 which meets in Denver with the Director of Gen- 

 eral Research, the seven regional directors, and 

 laboratory personnel. 



Department of Labor 



Labor has a relatively small basic research pro- 

 gram, estimated at $785,000 for 1977; 24 percent 

 is reported as intramural. The Bureau of Labor 

 Statistics has done very significant basic research 

 in the past but reports none for 1977. Labor does 

 not operate a laboratory, but some personnel of 

 the Employment and Training Administration and 

 the Labor-Management Services Division are re- 

 ported as performing basic research, usually in 

 addition to other duties, including administration 

 of contract research. 



Department of State 



The State Department reports no basic re- 

 search, although under the Agency for Interna- 

 tional Development (AID) there is some quite 

 fundamental work which many would call basic. 

 AID has no in-house laboratory, however. 



Department of Transportation 



The Department of Transportation (DOT) also 

 reports no basic research for 1977, although from 

 the DOT section in Part I it is clear that it intends 

 to do basic research at some time. DOT has seven 

 major R&D field activities; the Transportation 

 Systems Center in Cambridge, Mass., is highly 

 oriented toward research and advanced technolo- 

 gy- 



Energy Research and Development 

 Administration 



The Energy Research and Development Admin- 

 istration (ERDA) estimated basic research obliga- 

 tions for 1977 of $390.7 million, much less than 1 

 percent of which were reported as intramural. 

 There are several causes for this anomaly. ERDA 

 accounting procedures were such that the pro- 

 gram administrators were not charged to the basic 

 research program and therefore did not appear in 

 the intramural portion. Even if program adminis- 

 trators directly involved were charged, the effect 

 would be less than that for most agencies because 



BASIC RESEARCH IN AGENCY LABORATORIES AND FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTERS 247 



