The principal divisions of the Foundation are: Biology and Medicine; * 

 Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences; and Division of Scientific 

 Personnel and Education. There is also an Office of Science Information 

 Service, an Office of Special International Programs, an Office of Special 

 Studies, as well as an administrative division. 



In 1958 the National Science Board approved the establishment of an 

 Office of Social Sciences, thus bestowing formal status on Foundation support 

 of the social sciences which has been carried on on a limited basis since the 

 early days of the Foundation. The social sciences support program which was 

 undertaken on the strength of the permissive phrase in the Act "and other 

 sciences ' includes projects in the following fields: physical anthropology, func- 

 tional archaeology, cultural anthropology, psycholinguistics, human ecology, 

 demography, sociology, social psychology, economic and social geography, 

 economics, history of science, and philosophy of science. 



Thus in the National Science Foundation we have a functioning organ- 

 ization closely resembling in organization and design the National Research 

 Foundation proposed by Dr. Bush. 



Certainly in ideals and objectives it is a prototype of the institution en- 

 visioned in Science, the Endless Frontier. The really important question is, 

 of course, to what extent has the Foundation been successful in serving the 

 high purposes and needs for which it was created? 



Dr. Bush enunciated five basic principles that should characterize an effec- 

 tive program of Government support for scientific research and education : 



(1) Whatever the extent of support may be, there must be stability of funds over a 

 period of years so that long-range programs may be undertaken. 



(2) The agency to administer such funds should be composed of citizens selected 

 only on the basis of their interest in and capacity to promote the work of the agency. 

 They should be persons of broad interest in and understanding of the peculiarities of 

 scientific research and education. 



(3) The agency should promote research through contracts or grants to organizations 

 outside the Federal Government. It should not operate any laboratories of its own. 



(4) Support of basic research in the public and private colleges, universities, and 

 research institutes must leave the internal control of policy, personnel, and the method 

 and scope of the research to the institutions themselves. This is of the utmost importance. 



(5) While assuring complete independence and freedom for the nature, scope, and 

 methodology of research carried on in the institutions receiving public funds, and while 

 retaining discretion in the allocation of funds among such institutions, the Foundation 

 proposed herein must be responsible to the President and Congress. 



( 1 ) The Foundation is aware that continuity and stabihty are most impor- 

 tant in the support of basic research. This can be achieved in two principal 

 ways: one, by making the grant or contract for a term of years rather than for 

 a single year and renewable; the other, by setting aside a revolving fund for 

 the renewal of grants or contracts when the term expires, without reference 

 to the annual appropriation. In the early years, budget limitations made it 

 difficult for the Foundation to provide long-range support. As funds have 

 become available, however, the amount and duration of the average grant 

 has steadily increased. The value of the average research grant in fiscal year 

 1953 was $10,300, for an average duration of 1.9 years; and in fiscal year 

 1960 the average estimated value has risen to $30,500, with an axerage 



* Under the terms of the Act biology and medical research were initially to be separate divisions. 

 After consideration during the first year it was decided to combine these into a single division. 



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