942 



This agreement, like other bilaterals, is designed to supplement 

 and strengthen existing scientific and technological cooperation 

 between the two countries. Funds for the support of the activities of 

 American scientists may come from any U.S. source, including the 

 regular research support programs of the NSF. The OIP approves 

 American proposals for cooperative research. 



According to the NSF program officer, the two countries require the 

 preparation of a joint annual report, but the Foundation keeps no 

 detailed account of activities conducted under the program. The 

 preparation of a report is handicapped because : 



(1) there are no specific funds allotted by NSF for program 

 activities ; 



(2) other Federal agencies fund activities under the program; 



(3) some cooperative U.S. -Australian activities which began 

 before the agreement are now included in it, but others are not; 

 and 



(4) scientists sponsored by the program are not required to 

 report to the NSF on their activities. ^°^ 



One of the major objectives of the U.S. -Australia cooperative pro- 

 gram is to benefit Australian science. Usuall}'^ the science, budgets of 

 countries with which the United States has science agreements are 

 smaller than U.S. science budgets. In addition, funding mechanisms 

 tend to be less well established. Before inception of the U.S. -Aus- 

 tralian program, Australia did not have a mechanism to fund the 

 international travel of its scientists; this agreement helped institu- 

 tionalize one.^"* Commenting on the effectiveness of the U.S. -Australia 

 program, the State Department observes: "Thus far, except for some 

 collaborative research in drag detection, not much has developed, the 

 principal problem being one of funding." ^°^ 



NSF-sponsored activities, as of 1 December 1970, were: (1) Austra- 

 lians working in the United States: thunderstorms, 12 months; forest 

 fire research, 2 months; structure of the lower atmosphere, 3 months; 

 rangelands, 1 month; photos3Tithesis, 1 month; biomedical research, 

 2 visits of 1 month each; and (2) Americans working in Australia: 

 scientific ballooning, 2 months.^*^ In fiscal year 1971 the Foundation 

 awarded one grant for the program: "$4,000 for a joint seminar on 

 photosjTi thesis, held in Australia." ^°^ 



U .S .-Republic of China (Taiwan) Cooperative Science Program.— 

 The U.S. -Republic of China Cooperative Science Program, which 

 began in 1969, is designed, like the exchange with India, to stimulate 

 economic development through association with U.S. experts.^"^ 

 It is "broad and non-specific, with no large administrative over- 

 head"; ^"^ the Taiwan Government contributes the bulk of the funding. 



The origin of scientific cooperation between the United States and 

 Taiwan governments dates back to 1964, when a nongovernmental 

 Sino-American Science Cooperation Committee was established jointly 

 by the Academia Sinica in Taipei and the U.S. National Academy of 



-■<» Interview, Dr. Raphael Ronldn, February 26, 1971. 



2W Idem. 



205 "U.S. Scientific and Technological Agreements with Other Countries," op. cit. 



^li U.S. National Science Foimdation, "U.S. -Australia Agreement for Scientific and Technical Coopera- 

 tion: Brief R6sum6 of Activities," December 1, 1970, supplied by Raphael Ronkin, Program Officer, U.S.- 

 Australia Agreement for Scientific and Technical Cooperation, OIP, NSF. 



3ti' NSF, Annual Report. FY 1971, op. cit, p. 55. 



208 "U.S. Scientific and Technological Agreements with Other Countries," op. cit., p. 5. 



209 Taken from Louis Levin, Executive Associate Director, NSF, Memo on "Conversation on October 18, 

 1968, with Dr. Bruce BilMngs, U.S. Representative in Taiwan and John Lacey, SCI, Department of State, 

 about U.S.-Taiwan Cooperative Agreement," October 22, 1968, supplied by NSF. 



