ALLEN V. ASTIN 



have suffered by this name ealling. The result has been that 

 the personnel engaged in the work have ceased to explore and 

 the possibilities for critical improvements have been radically 

 reduced. If, on the other hand, a basic interest is encouraged 

 and applied to such problems, there is an enhancement of 

 understanding and a resultant increase of technical efficiency. 



Competence of Personnel 



This leads to the second point. Basic research leads to 

 increased competence. I have no statistics to prove this, but I 

 am certain that there is a direct correlation between the level of 

 basic activity in a laboratory and its general competence. The 

 quality of a laboratory staff is its most important resource. 

 Quality of staff is eminent in its priority over equipment, funds, 

 and facilities. In government laboratories, the quality of the 

 personnel is a most abused resource. I shall have more to say on 

 "abuse" shortly, but here it is pertinent to relate quality to 

 output and the authorized mission of the laboratory. If that 

 mission is to be pursued with vigor and imagination, if the lab- 

 oratory is to accept its assignment in its full significance, 

 then it must have the talent capable of exercising creative 

 judgment. No laboratory can maintain productivity in research 

 without high-quality personnel. No laboratory can retain first- 

 rate personnel without permitting the right and freedom of 

 basic questioning. These two statements complement each other 

 and are the bases for relating quality to basic research and to 

 agency mission. In many cases the work of a government 

 laboratory has bearing on a large-scale research and develop- 

 ment activity outside of government. The question of quality 

 then becomes emphasized, and the need for basic research 

 becomes undeniable. In defense programs, for example, it is 

 difficult to conceive of a government laboratory which is to con- 

 tribute to the common defense and which is to examine or 



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