957 



Awards are in U.S. dollars. They are generally limited to the 

 equivalent cost of jet economy air transportation from the city of 

 origin to the scientists' destination abroad and return. Per diem may 

 be paid when an individual is traveling as a representative of the 

 U.S. Government. Travel must be by U.S.-flag carriers except in 

 special circumstances. 



Criteria for .evaluation of international travel grant applications 

 vary with each NSF division. According to Dr. William Riem.er, who 

 was in charge of the 1971 international travel grants program for the 

 Division of Biological and Medical Sciences, usually a different staff 

 member within each division has responsibility for program imple- 

 mentation each year; there is no outside review of applicants' qualifi- 

 cations. Because meetings are usually held in Europe in the summer, 

 the Foundation prefers to support meetings held in Asia, Africa, and 

 Latin America in the fall. Divisions vary in their preference for sup- 

 porting large or small meetings ; some divisions prefer to support 

 older, well-established scientists; others favor younger scientists "who 

 do not have cultural blinders." The Foundation does maintain one 

 official criterion for evaluation of grant applications: preference is 

 given to individuals delivering scientific papers. Awardees are not 

 required to have particular language qualifications. 



The Foundation requires recipients of individual travel awards to 

 file an official report but onl}^ of scientific activities in which they 

 have participated. There is no official requirement to report on the 

 international scientific aspects of the meeting; however, each division 

 may request its grantees to report on the number of individuals 

 attending, the countries represented, the highlights of the program, 

 and the general impressions of the person reporting. 



According to Dr. Riemer, the individual subject divisions of the 

 Foundation review incoming reports; reports are sent only infrequently 

 to the State Department and to the Office of International Programs, 

 especially if the meeting was held in a country with which the United 

 States has a bilateral scientific agreement.^^^ 



The Foundation's activities in support of the international travel 

 grants program have been modest. In 1952 the Foundation awarded 

 23 grants totaling $17,153. Congressional action forced suspension cf 

 the program in the mid-fifties; but the program was reinstated in 1957, 

 probably as part of the general increase in Foundation activities in 

 response to the launch of Sputnik. In 1957 the Foundation awarded 

 about $120,000 for this program. Since 1960 the Foundation has 

 awarded international travel grants to approximately 600-900 indi- 

 viduals annually at costs totaling about $500,000 to $600,000 including 

 awards to professional associations and to the National Academy of 

 Sciences. (See Tables 18 and 19.) 



According to the Foundation, there are many problems connected 

 with its support of international travel : 



The number of international scientific meetings is increasing sharplj^, perhaps 

 too much so. It may be that some scientists spend too much of their time going 

 to such meetings, and too Httle in their laboratories developing new results to 

 talk about at the meetings. The problem the Foundation faces, therefore, is to 

 pick the significant meetings to which support should be offered and then to 

 offer support for travel expenses to the right scientists. Care is taken by the use 



"' Material taken from Interviewwith Dr. William Riemer, Division of Biological and Medical Sciences, 

 NSF, March 1, 1970; NSF, "Application for International Travel Grant;" and NSF, "Instructions for In- 

 ternational Travel Grant Applications." 



