and the percentage rate of response. 7 The 

 industry sector had the highest rate, 81 percent. 

 The return from university presidents and vice- 

 presidents for research was also quite high, at 

 82 percent and 78 percent, respectively. The 

 response from department chairmen was 

 smaller, perhaps because they were contacted 

 at an awkward time in their schedules. While 

 the other administrators were contacted in May 

 and June, the letters to chairmen did not go out 

 until late summer. FFRDC's (59 percent) and 

 independent research institutes (53 percent) 

 showed the lowest returns. Five of the indepen- 



dent research institutes taken from the 1973 

 listing had gone out of business by the time of 

 the letter inquiry. Hence Table 2-1 shows only 

 40 institutes as having been contacted. 



The high overall rate of response indicates an 

 intensity of concern within the research system 

 about its immediate future, and the quality of 

 these responses is evidence that a great deal of 

 serious thought went into them. The National 

 Science Board greatly appreciates the valuable 

 contributions that the respondents have made 

 to this Report. 



Table 2-1. Responses to the NSB Inquiry Letter 



Letters 

 Sent 



Responses 

 Received 



Per- 

 cent 



University 



Presidents Research Universities I 52 



Research Universities II 40 



Total 



Vice Presidents Research Universities I 



for Research Research Universities II 



Total 



Department Research Universities I 



Chairmen Research Universities II 



Total 



Total for Universities 



Industry 



NSF Industrial Panel 



Presidents of Corporations 



Total for Industry 151 



Government 



Directors of Federally Funded Research and 



Development Centers (FFRDC's) 



Directors of Intramural Laboratories 



Agency Officials for Science and Technology 



Total for Government 81 



Independent Research Institutes 



Presidents or Directors of Institutes 40 



Overall Total 901 



41 

 34 



123 



55 



21 

 640 



79 

 85 



81 



68 



53 

 71 



" Appendix C lists the names of the respondents and their 

 institutions, according to sector. 



THE INQUIRY TO THE RESEARCH COMMUNITY 



25 



