temporarv Science Ad\'isor\' Board 

 was appointed b\' President Roose\ elt 

 in 1933 and asked to consider specific 

 problems of the organization of \'a- 

 rious scientific bureaus and to rec- 

 ommend a program for more acti\e 

 support of research by the Federal 

 Government. In the 2 years of its 

 activities, the board made man\ \alu- 

 able recommendations and brought 

 about useful improvements in the 

 Government service. The board sub- 

 mitted its first report in 1934 and 

 its final report late in 1935. In this 

 final report the board strongly rec- 

 ommended the creation of a perma- 

 nent science advisory board for the 

 scientific services of the Federal Gov- 

 ernment. Several years later the 

 National Resources Committee pub- 

 lished a study of Federal aids to re- 

 search and of the place of scientific 

 work in the Government.^ Findings 

 of these two committees have been 

 consulted freely in the preparation of 

 the present chapter. Suggestions from 

 research workers and research direc- 

 tors long connected with Government 

 bureaus afford a basis for recommen- 

 dations supplemental to those pro- 

 posed by the earlier committees. 



A. Suggested Reforms 



The special problems of the con- 

 duct of research by the Government 

 are made more difficult than is nec- 

 essary by the application to research 

 activities and to research personnel of 

 regulations designed primarily to gov- 

 ern custodial, regulatory, or other 

 functions of Government. Many of 

 these regulations and restrictions seri- 

 ously hamper successful prosecution 

 of research work by Government 

 agencies. If research is to be con- 

 ducted by Government, its distinc- 



^ Research— A National Resource. I. Relation 

 of the Federal Government to Research. 



t'ne character should be recognized, 

 and it should be freed from as many 

 as possible of these hampering restric- 

 tions. Fiscal and budgetar\' proce- 

 dures should be modified to fit the 

 particular needs of research work 

 rather than attempting to adapt re- 

 search procedures to inflexible regu- 

 lations applicable to other items of 

 Government expense. Ci\'il Ser\'ice 

 regulations should be modified to 

 permit the most advantageous pro- 

 cedures for recruiting and classifying 

 scientific personnel. Research bv 

 Government bureaus should be co- 

 ordinated with research in other pub- 

 lic and private scientific institutions. 



1. Fiscal and Budgetary 

 Procedures 



The scientific work of Government 

 bureaus could be assisted greatly by 

 simplifying procedures in order to 

 permit more effective use of the 

 funds appropriated for research. The 

 principal modifications suggested 

 here are aimed at granting wider 

 latitude and greater flexibility for 

 planning and executing sustained 

 research programs. The necessary 

 changes in procedure can probably 

 best be determined by a special com- 

 mittee composed of governmental 

 and nongovernmental scientists and 

 representatives of the budgetary or 

 appropriating authorities. 



a. Appropriations for Long-Tenn 

 Programs 



Current budgetary procedure of 

 Go\'ernment provides funds on an 

 annual basis, yet only a small per- 

 centage of the research conducted by 

 Government agencies can be planned 

 adequately or appraised satisfactorily 

 on a 1-year basis. Research programs 

 should somehow be assured in terms 

 of their long-run objectives. If ap- 



100 



