BASIC RESEARCH IN GOVERNMENT LABORATORIES 



Basic Research Relation to Other Activities 



In addition to these general responsibilities which govern- 

 ment laboratories have and which are served by in-house basic 

 research programs, there is a specific relationship between such 

 basic activities and the missions assigned to government labora- 

 tories. It should be noted that no federal laboratory, with the 

 possible exception of The Smithsonian Institution, exists just 

 to undertake programs of a basic scientific nature. Each labora- 

 tory has been established to serve the assigned responsibilities 

 of the parent agency. Or in the case of an independent agency 

 such as NACA, recently absorbed into NASA, its establish- 

 ment was to meet a practical need. Its charter authorized a 

 "study of the problems of flight with a view to their practical 

 solution." In this context, there can be no question of the 

 propriety of undertaking research projects directed at fulfilling 

 authorized responsibilities. But how does one justify basic re- 

 search projects under such conditions? I believe that such basic 

 activities are proper for the following compelling reasons: First, 

 basic research, as defined earlier, should not be separated from 

 other research activity. Second, basic research increases the 

 competence to undertake and improve all research activities. 

 And third, basic research in government identifies the govern- 

 ment with an implicit responsibility of government to society- 

 Let me elaborate on each of these points very briefly. Basic 

 research should not be divorced from other research activities. 

 We are deluding ourselves if we attempt to make a separation 

 in some exact way. All research partakes of this questioning 

 that I have spoken of earlier. To the degree that we encourage 

 questioning in depth, to that degree do we permit ourselves the 

 necessity of basic research. 



I have come in contact with projects which have been 

 called routine testing or mere evaluation. And those projects 



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