recommendations were set forth in Executixe Order 10521 of March 17, 1954. 

 The Order states that the Foundation "shall . . . recommend to the President 

 policies for the promotion and support of basic research and education in the 

 sciences, including policies with respect to furnishing guidance toward de- 

 fining the res]X)nsibiHtics of the Federal Government in the conduct and 

 support oi basic scientific research." 



The Order further directs that the Foundation shall be increasingly re- 

 sponsible for the support of general-purpose basic research but recognizes, 

 also, the importance and desirability of other agencies' conducting and sup- 

 porting basic research in fields closely associated to their missions. The 

 Foundation is not expected to have responsibility for the applied research 

 and de\ elopment programs of other agencies, and each agency is accountable 

 for the scope and quality of its developmental effort. 



With respect to the evaluation function, the Foundation has con- 

 sistently pointed out that it is unrealistic to expect one agency to render 

 judgment on the o\er-all performance of another agency unless an agency 

 requests such help. The Foundation has chosen instead to approach the 

 problem in terms of specific areas of science. Through close liaison and 

 exchange of information with other science agencies, the Foundation has 

 endeavored to identify areas that are receiving inadequate support or that 

 require attention for other reasons. In this way it has been possible to bring 

 about needed adjustments on an amicable, cooperative basis. 



Executive Order 10807 of March 13, 1959, establishing the Federal Council 

 on Science and Technology, also redefines the Foundation's role in the de- 

 velopment of national science policy as applying only to basic research. 

 Within this more specialized framework, the Foundation has been steadily 

 formulating national science policies in the course of day-to-day operations, 

 frequently on the basis of agreement and understanding with other agencies. 

 Those who insist that policy must be handed down "ready made" in the 

 form of a proclamation or edict do not understand the policy-making process. 

 To be workable, policy must evolve on the basis of experience. 



In 1959 the Foundation listed a compilation of some fifty science policies 

 of a government-wide, national character that had been recommended by the 

 Foundation during the previous eight years. Drawn from a variety of public 

 statements and published reports the policies are grouped under the following 

 broad categories: Basic Research; Government-University Relationships in 

 the Conduct of Federally Sponsored Research; Indirect Costs; Education and 

 Training; Federal Financial Support of Research Facilities; Government- 

 Industry Relationships on Research; International Scientific Activities; Or- 

 ganization and Administration of Research; Medical Research, and Scientific 

 Information. 



As background data for its own research programs and for policy formula- 

 tion concerning the role of the Federal Government in the support of science, 

 the Foundation early established a series of studies of the nature and extent 

 of the national eflfort in research and development. Comprehensive surveys 

 are made on a recurring basis of the research and development effort of in- 

 dustry and of universities and other nonprofit institutions. The Foundation's 

 analyses of the support of research and development by Federal agencies are 



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