979 



no knowledge of how the fellows' performance varies with the special 

 conditions of the foreign country or institution. The only difficulty 

 known to the Foundation relates to "finding adequate housing." ^^^ 



Conclusions: Some Illustrative Questions of Policy 



The bulk of the Nation's programs in support of U.S. nongovern- 

 mental scientists abroad are supported by the NSF and are admin- 

 istered either directly by the Foundation or by the National Academy 

 of Sciences with NSF funds. NSF obligations for international scien- 

 tific acti\'ities totaled approximately $118 million in fiscal year 1974; 

 there usually is no accurate information available to estimate the 

 total annual cost of programs which send abroad nongovernmental 

 scientific and technical personnel; most NSF international acti^^ties 

 involve such exchanges. These programs include: joint cooperative 

 research; educational fellowships; research awards for domestic 

 acti\'ities with funds available for use in foreign scientific actix^ities; 

 technical assistance programs supported with collateral funds awarded 

 by AID; support of scientists for travel to scientific conferences; a 

 variety of bilateral science agreements; and NAS-administered ac- 

 tivities, including the program of exchanges with the U.S.S.R. and 

 Eastern Europe; and support of U.S. participation in planning and 

 developing international scientific meetings and programs. 



NSF exchange programs^ send scientists to all areas of the world ; 

 their purposes are as widespread as their geographic distribution. 

 Some programs support the accumulation of information to advance 

 American science, or science for its own merits; some promote educa- 

 tional advancement of American and foreign scholars; some facilitate 

 international cooperative research programs; and some serve political 

 objectives through bilateral scientific communication. These programs 

 are increasing in number and importance, with respect to U.S. com- 

 mitments for both science and foreign affairs. 



Two factors constrain NSF foreign science exchange activities: (1) 

 the accumulated effects of the absence, until 1968, of a clearly enunci- 

 ated mandate for engaging in foreign and international activities ; and 

 (2) the need for the Foundation to meet requirements imposed by 

 scientific scholarship to insulate support activities from undue political 

 and governmental interference. ^ ■ 



When the Foundation was first established in 1950, the Congress 

 did not give the agency explicit authority for foreign and international 

 scientific activities. Most NSF programs were initiated before the 

 Congress clarified this responsibility in 1968. Thus, they were initiated 

 under the limited authority requiring the Foundation to support, 

 justify, and administer foreign and international activities in teims 

 of supporting the growth of domestic science. Probably as a result, 

 the information presented in this chapter indicates that the Foun- 

 dation does not seem to have developed clear-cut policies and internal 

 program operations which provide for coordinated administration 

 of these programs. Foreign exchange activities are scattered through- 

 out all NSF divisions. While the Foundation established an office for 

 foreign and international science in 1955, that office, even today, has 

 relatively little responsibility for overseas science programs. The 



'^o "Questionnaire on Government-Exchange Programs. Program Code No. 701," NSF fellowship pro- 

 grams for U.S. citizens: Senior Postdoctoral. Postdoctoral, Science Faculty, and Graduate Fellowship 

 Programs. Division of Graduate Education in Science, February 4; 1971. 



