NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 



NATIONAL SCIENCE BOARD 



WASHINGTON, D.C. 20550 



LETTER TO DIRECTORS 

 OF FFRDC's 



Currently the National Science Board is preparing its Eighth Annual 

 Report to the President and to the Congress. The report will concen- 

 trate on the circumstances which might affect the capacity of the 

 Nation to continue a strong position in science and technology. It 

 will attempt to identify and to study prospectively selected critical 

 problems developing in the operating research sectors namely, uni- 

 versity, industry, Government laboratories and independent research 

 institutes. The report is not as much concerned with dollar support 

 as with circumstances in the institutional, managerial or policy 

 environment which will influence the productivity of working scientists 

 and engineers. 



In order to identify critical problems for the Federally Funded Research 

 and Development Centers, the Committee decided to contact the director 

 of each center. 



The Committee would very much appreciate learning about the two most 

 critical issues/problems facing fundamental (long term, basic) research, 

 as you see it, in the near term future. "Near term future" means issues 

 currently emerging or seen-to-be-emerging in the next decade or so. 

 For example, as you look ahead, in your capacity as director of an 

 FFRDC, what problems do you anticipate? What critical issues/problems 

 will condition scientific and technological research in FFRDC's and 

 will decrease their effectiveness unless properly addressed? Would 

 you please order your issues/problems "one" and "two" and then provide 

 a brief descriptive paragraph for each? Feel free to propose resolutions 

 or solutions. 



112 APPENDIX B 



