Veterans Administration 



For 1977, the Veterans Administration (VA) 

 reports a basic research program of $9.3 million, 

 all of which is intramural. This work is performed 

 in the VA hospitals, usually by clinicians ciiring 

 for patients. The details of the VA's somewhat 

 complicated but quite flexible system for manag- 

 ing this program are reported in its section in Part 

 1. The principal characteristic of the system is its 

 decentralization. 



Summary 



A significant portion of the Nation's basic re- 

 search is performed in facilities operated by the 

 Government or operated by contractors on behalf 

 of the Government. Some of the FFRDC's of 

 ERDA (now DOE) and all those of NSF are es- 

 sentially basic research facilities, as are JILA (a 

 joint activity of NBS and the University of Colo- 

 rado), some of the Smithsonian's activities, and 

 NOAA's small Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Fab- 

 oratory at Princeton University. Some other labo- 

 ratories, such as some of NASA's and the Geo- 

 logical Survey's, and Navy's NRL, devote a sig- 

 nificant part of their funds to basic research. But 

 for most Federal R&D installations (there were 

 about 500 listed in 1%9), basic research is a small 

 or nonexistent part of their responsibilities.'! 



There is great variation in the degree to which 

 authority over basic research is delegated to the 



" Direclorv of Federal RAD Instnllutions for the Year End- 

 ing June M). /%y, NSF 70-23, 1970. 



field. In the case of NSF, the Smithsonian, the 

 high-energy physics program of ERDA/DOE, and 

 to some extent NASA, the agency mission itself is 

 to do the basic research. Based on the relative 

 numbers of Government personnel involved, it 

 appears that ERDA has delegated more responsi- 

 bility to FFRDC's than NSF has in program mat- 

 ters, although the reverse is true in management 

 matters. Where the mission of the agency implies 

 greater constraints, there still is great variation in 

 laboratory management, all the way from com- 

 plete freedom to do what is necessary to achieve 

 an agreed objective within available funds to such 

 tight constraints in some cases that it is difficult to 

 see how truly basic research could be accom- 

 plished. Great variations can occur even within a 

 single agency — witness the greater constraints 

 imposed by headquarters on Army and Navy 

 medical laboratories than on military hardware 

 laboratories; or compare NIE with NIH, both in 

 HEW. 



The vision and attitude of the director or tech- 

 nical director of an R&D installation have great 

 bearing on the quality of basic research that will 

 be performed there. But at laboratories that are 

 primarily geared to development, it is not at all 

 clear that basic research is a major consideration 

 when such a position is being filled. It is apparent 

 that such selections are taken quite seriously in 

 most agencies. The situation is complicated, how- 

 ever, by the great differences in scientific talent 

 available at agency headquarters. Although some 

 may lack anyone in the higher echelons with sci- 

 entific background, there is evidence of a high 

 degree of sophistication in other agencies, where 

 very high-level executives with long research ex- 

 perience have been personally involved in filling 

 such positions. 



BASIC RESEARCH IN AGENCY LABORATORIES AND FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTERS 251 



