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Question: What role, if any, does the Federal Coordinating 

 Council for Science, Engineering and Technology 

 play in the coordination of international science 

 activities? Could it play a stronger role, or is 

 it too unwieldy a forum? 



Answer: At the present time, FCCSET plays a minor role 



in coordinating international activities. Each 



of FCCST's 10 subcommittees deals with international 



science as it has relevance to the work of the 



subcommittee, but none is tasked solely to 



address the international aspects of its subject 



area. 



In other words, the focus of these subcommittees 

 is on a discipline or technical area, rather than 

 on a policy area. We are presently considering 

 the desirability and feasibility of selected policy 

 subcommittees. If created, it would be important 

 that they operate in such a mode that they not inter- 

 fere with the traditional prerogatives of Department 

 and Agencies. 



