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RECOMMENDATIONS 



Application of the Nation's Research Capability 

 to Civilian Problems 



The Nation's capabilities in science and technology should be 

 brought more fully to bear on the full range of civilian problems of the 

 kind discussed in this report: population, health, food, energy, 

 minerals, weather and climate, and the environment. 



These capabilities, in addition, should be directed to deepening 

 and expanding general scientific knowledge through "untargeted" 

 basic research, so that the Nation will be better prepared to meet the 

 unforeseen challenges which assuredly will arise in the future. 



We believe that the science and technology enterprise has the 

 capability to increase its research efforts effectively in both directions. 

 We believe, further, that the Nation's research effort, in both its basic 

 and applied aspects, should be expanded. The extent of the expansion 

 should be sufficient to reverse recent declines in the overall level of 

 effort and provide for growth in the years ahead, so that the Nation 

 can obtain the unique benefits available from a vigorous research 

 endeavor. 



The success of this effort requires the participation of the 

 Nation's entire science and technology enterprise — the Federal 

 Government, private industry, and the universities. 



Role of the Federal Government 



In the last few years the Federal Government has increased its 

 expenditures for research in civiHan areas such as health, energy, and 

 the environment. This has been accomplished under the difficult 

 condition of a declining total Federal budget for R&D, in terms of 

 constant dollars. 



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