37 



The Commission recommends that the 

 National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Agency initiate a dynamic and comprehen- 

 sive fundamental technology program. 

 The objective of the program should be to 

 expand the possibilities and lower the cost 

 of marine technological applications by 

 industry, the scientiiic community, and 

 government. 



National Projects 



Tlie twin objectives of a major national 

 effort in marine science and technology are 

 ( 1 ) the expansion and improvement of over- 

 all national capability and (2) the applica- 

 tion of present skills and knowledge to 

 immediate problems and opportunities. To 

 impart a sense of priority to the effort, a part 

 of the national plan must be focused on 

 clearly identified projects, facilities, and 

 programs assigned the status of National 

 Projects. 



The National Projects should be concrete, 

 definable activities broad enough in scope 

 to force the rapid advancement of knowl- 

 edge and technology. There should be pro- 

 vision in each National Project for the par- 

 ticipation of industry, the academic com- 

 munity, and the States to the extent that 

 their interests and competence are involved. 

 The National Projects should be a training 

 ground for scientists, engineers, technicians, 

 and management personnel from all seg- 

 ments of the marine community. "^^Tiile Na- 

 tional Projects should be responsive to cur- 

 rent needs, they should be planned for maxi- 

 muMi utility to future needs and opixirtuni- 

 ties. 



Management and primary support for a 

 National Project would be a Federal respon- 

 sibility. Industrj' should participate in plan- 

 ning, implementation, and operation of the 

 National Projects through contracts with the 



managing agency in some cases or through 

 use of Federally owned facilities on a cost- 

 reimburseable or cooperative arrangement in 

 others. Participation by academic institu- 

 tions and State agencies similarly would be 

 determined by the nature of the project. 



The Commission recommends that the 

 National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Agency : 



• Establish, in collaboration with other 

 interested Federal agencies. National 

 Projects to focus the national marine 

 effort on specific areas of need and op- 

 portunity and to advance the national 

 capability 



• Initiate an intensive and innovative 

 effort to assess the feasibility of addi- 

 tional National Projects. 



The Commission recognizes that technol- 

 ogy is developing rapidly and that the pre- 

 cise definition and timing of National Proj- 

 ects necessarily will require detailed studies 

 of engineering feasibility and utility prior 

 to making funding decisions. Nonetheless, 

 the Commission has selected six projects 

 which it concludes merit early implementa- 

 tion and has estimated the approximate level 

 of effort which it believes appropriate to 

 each. Five additional projects have been 

 identified as meriting more intensive study. 



Each proposed National Project is dis- 

 cussed in greater detail in an appropriate 

 chapter of this report and in the Report of 

 the Commission's Panel on Marine Engineer- 

 ing and Technology. The projects are listed 

 in Table 2-1. 



Each of the recommended National Proj- 

 ects will contribute importantly to the over- 

 all advance of the Nation's marine capability 

 and will assist in meeting more specific needs. 

 However, the National Project for develop- 



