SUPPORT BY INDUSTRY 



by some of the companies were considerably higher than had 

 previously been reported in some private compilations with 

 which 1 was familiar. 



In an effort to determine the reasons for this, I contacted 

 the directors of two of the larger research organizations in the 

 petroleum industry. They attributed the discrepancies largely 

 to the old question of definition. One said that if he classified 

 as basic only research undertaken without any possible practical 

 objective in view, he would have to give a figure only about one 

 fourth as great as if he defined it as the search for fundamental 

 knowledge, eventually worthy of publication in scientific jour- 

 nals, and the type of work which would be classed as basic if 

 it were done at a university. A similar view, though with a 

 ratio probably under 2 to 1 instead of 4 to 1 , was expressed by 

 the other research director. Since the broader definition fits in 

 better with my own views as expressed near the outset of this 

 paper, I have accepted the figures as reported, though I realize 

 that they are high compared with some earlier compilations. 

 In any case, as expressed in a recent National Science Founda- 

 tion report, "they represent the summation of judgments of 

 informed reporters at many different vantage points." 



With these qualifications, I estimate that the petroleum 

 industry's support of basic research in its own laboratories has 

 increased from $11,100,000 or 7.6 per cent of the $146,000,- 

 000 total in 1953* to about $28,400,000, or 10 per cent of its 

 1958 estimated research and development expenditures of 

 $280,000,000. To this should be added the $2,800,000 pre- 

 viously mentioned for its financing of basic research outside 

 its own laboratories, which would make a total of about 1 1 per 

 cent. In the number of scientists engaged in basic research, the 

 comparison would be even more favorable because in general 



* National Science Foundation, Science and Engineering in Ameri- 

 can Industry, p. 67. 



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