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SUMMARY 11 



investigator grants could be reduced if other agencies do not as- 

 sume responsibility for some of the funding. 



Responsibility of Academic Institutions 



Through the years, academic oceanographic institutions evolved 

 different organizational structures ranging from typical academic 

 departments to large comprehensive institutions that operate multiple 

 ships and shared facilities. As the benefits of cooperation became 

 evident, vehicles for the cooperative use of ships and some other 

 facilities have developed. The board recommends that academic 

 oceanographic institutions find additional ways to achieve cohe- 

 siveness among these institutions and a sense of common scien- 

 tific direction. It is essential that this cooperation be achieved at 

 both the administrative and the working-scientist levels so that 

 the interactions are based on the needs of science as well as the 

 needs of the institutions. The board also recommends that the 

 academic institutions, individually or through consortia, take a 

 greater responsibility for the health of the field, including nation- 

 ally important programs. In particular, the large, long-lived glo- 

 bal change research programs are indicative of the need for insti- 

 tutional responses that are of longer duration and more stable 

 than those of individual scientists. Also, the heavy dependence of 

 academic oceanographers on federal support, compared with other 

 fields, suggests that the academic institutions should explore mecha- 

 nisms for the stable support of academic researchers. Academic 

 scientists have a responsibility to help the federal agencies that 

 fund them when it comes to applying research results to agency 

 missions. Partnerships imply shared responsibilities and antici- 

 pation of the future needs of both partners. 



Sharing of Academic and Federal Resources 



The board recommends that federal and academic researchers 

 improve the sharing of data, the cooperative use of facilities, and 

 the conduct of joint research. Some mission agencies encourage 

 cooperation with academic scientists, but increased formal inter- 

 action could significantly improve the efficiency of the national 

 oceanographic effort. The major facility available to the marine 

 science community, the research fleet, is a national resource. 

 Maintaining, developing, and operating the fleet in the most effi- 

 cient and cost-effective manner should be paramount in all dis- 

 cussions of shared resources. 



