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institutions that can create the knowledge and technology, the 

 institutions with a responsibility for its creation, and the 

 natural customers and users of the results: government at all 

 levels, academic institutions, and businesses. All have roles to 

 play in creating and using ocean knowledge. 



Some excellent institutions, such as the the Joint Oceanographic 

 Institutions, and the Consortium for Oceanographic Research and 

 Education, and several professional societies, link the academic 

 research institutions with each other and with the Federal 

 agencies. The Sea Grant program has provided a mechanism for 

 linking academic institutions with states and local communities 

 and with businesses. There is an opportunity and a need to expand 

 and extend these mechanisms and networks. There is a clear 

 government need at the federal level, and the scale of the oceans 

 and ocean problems makes national activity both required and 

 sensible. There is a need at state and community levels, and an 

 opportunity for ocean related businesses to contribute and to 

 benefit, and for new businesses to be created. 



The key to making knowledge and technology available to 

 businesses and localities, and to incorporating their knowledge 

 into the needs of the Navy and other federal agencies, is direct 

 contact between those who are generating the knowledge and 

 technology and those who might use the results. We need more 

 mechanisms for direct contact and discussions. Others are more 

 expert than I am in the design of such systems, but the key 

 requirement is the facilitation of conversation and discussion 

 between those with knowledge and technology and those with needs 

 for their use. "Arms length" mechanisms are neither satisfactory 

 nor sufficient; there must be direct, detailed informal 

 discussion over a period of time if the real needs are to be 

 understood, and the really relevant knowledge and technology to 

 satisfy the needs are to be identified. The people involved 

 really have to work closely together. 



Continuing the role of the Federal agencies in funding and 

 stimulating the creation of ocean knowledge and technology, and 

 the use of this knowledge by state and local governments and by 

 businesses is implied by the nature of the problems and 

 possibilities of the oceans, by our national and local 

 relationships to the oceans, by our strong academic institutions 

 working on ocean problems, and by the possibilities for using the 

 knowledge and technology for strengthening ocean businesses and 

 creating new ones. We have an opportunity for strong mutual 

 support among a variey of segments of our society, drawn together 

 by an important piece of our national and planetary environment. 



