VITALITY OF THE RESEARCH SYSTEM 



Vitality of the research system embodies a set 

 of issues concerned with scientific and 

 technical personnel and the institutional 

 arrangements within which they carry on their 

 work. While vitality related issues, as has been 

 shown in Table 2-7, are spread throughout the 

 research system, they were mentioned most 

 often by respondents from universities, Federal 

 intramural laboratories and independent 

 research institutes. 1 



In the university sector, concern over an 

 adequate supply of research manpower per- 

 vaded all levels of respondents. However, 

 problems related to young faculty, tenure, 

 dollar support for graduate studies, shrinking 

 inflow of students, lowered levels of student 

 quality and the growing competition between 

 teaching and research were emphasized mostly 

 by department chairmen. 



Issues related to vitality ranked among the 

 top three most frequently mentioned by direc- 

 tors of Federal intramural laboratories and by 

 headquarters officials in Government 

 departments or agencies. Limitations of Civil 

 Service regulations on employment of scientists 

 and engineers, the absence of positions for 

 young scientists, and the provision of con- 

 tinuing education for older scientists and 

 engineers are leading issues. 



Independent research institutes discussed 

 vitality in terms of the need for mul- 

 tidisciplinary research and the manpower 

 requirements for such efforts. 



See Appendix E for rank-order tables. 



In the industrial sector, major concern 

 centered on the quality of new people. There 

 was a feeling in industry that the best young 

 people are not entering science and engineering 

 fields; or, if they do enter, they are oriented 

 toward university careers. 



This chapter presents the views of 

 respondents in the scientific community on the 

 main concerns outlined above. For convenience, 

 these concerns have been divided into four 

 sections: 



1. research manpower for the future, 



2. opportunities for young scientists and 

 engineers throughout the research system, 



3. scientific and technical personnel manage- 

 ment, and 



4. national policy questions regarding scien- 

 tific and technical manpower. 



Also included in this chapter are some 

 suggestions from respondents for dealing with 

 the problems they discussed. 



RESEARCH MANPOWER 

 FOR THE FUTURE 



Throughout the sectors of the U.S. research 

 system — industry, independent research in- 

 stitutes, Federal laboratories, and uni- 

 versities — there is a convergence of concerns 

 over adequate numbers and quality in research 

 manpower for the future. 



In the words of James M. Early, Division Vice 

 President, Fairchild Research and Development 

 Division, Fairchild Camera and Instrument 

 Corporation: 



47 



