1138 



210 SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL COOPERATION 



taken into account, three-fourths of the projects involve transatlantic 

 collaboration. 



NSF Research and Foreign Travel Grants 



Over the years, the NSF staff in the Division of International Pro- 

 grams has not only managed a wide-ranging number of cooperative 

 research and training activities under bilateral programs, but has also 

 periodically attempted to provide analyses of the overall international 

 activities of the foundation. A recent analysis has provided a basis for 

 policy discussions by the National Science Board. A major examina- 

 tion of science in the international setting was prepared for the June 

 1982 board meeting.^ 



A board statement^° issued some weeks after the meeting, in Sep- 

 tember 1982, noted in particular: 



ScientiHc interaction at the international level is an essential element in the contin- 

 ued vitality of Science. Historically, the Nation has profited from its positive 

 stance of encouraging outstanding scientists from throughout the world to be 

 aware of and participate in our scientific activities and encouraging U.S. scientists 

 to travel and interact closely with scientific projects in other nations. 



Cooperation with the industrialized democracies, such as OECD members and 

 our NATO allies, is clearly of great value to the economic well-being and indus- 

 trial capability of our own Nation as well as theirs. These nations enjoy compara- 

 ble levels of technical sophistication and the potential for sharing advanced, 

 costly facilities. Since opportunities for interaction with these countries are read- 

 ily available, the greatest latitude should be given to individual cooperation and 

 exchanges independent of formal bilateral programs. However, the NSF should 

 continue to participate in selected intergovernmental agreements that serve iden- 

 tifiable useful functions. 



The nature of science requires that its international dimension be considered an 

 organic aspect of the scientific enterprise. This dimension must be actively pro- 

 vided for in all Foundation programs, from education and fellowships to the vari- 

 ous disciplinary efforts in the natural sciences, social sciences, and engineering. 

 Planning for new facilities and the setting of priorities for major scientific investi- 

 gations and programs should be carried out with the full recognition of the priori- 

 ties of other countries and in an environment which encourages complementarity 

 or planned supplementation, cost sharing, and coherence of the various efforts of 

 cooperating countries. National Science Foundation organization and manage- 

 ment procedures should reflect these principles. 



The staff's analysis, from which the board worked, was based in 

 part on the recorded and coded information from all foundation 



