966 



In connection with their work, U.S. nongovernmental scientific 

 and technical personnel attached to the Centers are sent abroad to 

 attend meetings, conduct research, consult with their foreign counter- 

 parts, or survey foreign sites. They are supported by NSF contracts 

 for the operation of these programs. No published data are available 

 on the foreign and international activities of these centers. In support 

 of this study, the Congressional Research Service, in cooperation 

 with NSF, in 1971, surveyed the foreign activities of the staff ,^** 



Selections from the data obtained, Table 23, indicate that foreign 

 activities play an important role in the operations of these centers, 

 both in numbers of foreign visitors who participate in domestic 

 operations and in the numbers of U.S. staff visits to other countries. 

 These activities have increased since fiscal year 1960; but their cost is 

 low in comparison with the total annual operating budget of each 

 center and with the available staff man-hours. Usually neither the 

 Director of the center nor the Foundation typically requires reporting 

 to indicate the significance of foreign and international implications. 

 Most of the visits are to Europe and the United Kingdom; research 

 often takes staff members of the centers to other areas of the world 

 including South America, the Pacific, and the Far East. 



2M Conducted with the cooperation of Mr. Daniel Hunt, head of the Office of National Centers and Fa- 

 cilities Operations, NSF. The following questionnaire was used: 



"Would you please provide us wlth'the following information pertinent to your National Research Center. 

 For the time period 1960-1970, please Ust: 



name of scientist who went abroad; 



project title; 



amount of funding; 



foreign destination; 



length of time abroad; 



criteria for selection of this scientist; and 



reporting requirements (both living conditions and scientific activities)." 



