265 



Act. These institutions are expected to provide leadership, and scientific and 

 technological resources for marine activities within their regions. In time, 

 supported institutions which establish a record of excellent, sustained perform- 

 ance toward Sea Grant goals will be officially designated "Sea Grant Colleges." 



Sea Grant Project Support will be given to individual projects which generally 

 will be single,, well-defined research, study, design, education, advisory service, 

 or training activities expected, in accordance with the Act, to produce informa- 

 tion, techniques, methods, or systems applicable to marine resources in any 

 field, or to train manpower required for marine resource exploitation. 



In August, after resolution of a number of major iwlicy and procedural ques- 

 tions, the Foundation issued its official brochure containing specific suggestions 

 for submission of proposals for Sea Grant Support. I should like to offer the 

 brochure for the record. To spell out specific requirements was not an easy task. 

 For instance, the popular notion of Sea Grant Institutional Support as being 

 tantamount to the designation of a Sea Grant College was not easy to dispel in 

 words. Making the brochure consistent with NSF's established procedures and 

 Federal fiscal regulations while maintaining the flexibility of the program and 

 anticipating the problems and requirements of supported institutions took con- 

 siderable time. The Foundation naturally discouraged submission of proposals 

 until the guidelines had been published. Nevertheless, several proposals were re- 

 ceived informally, and a few were submitted formally. The formal proposals 

 are now in review. Draft proposals have been sent to the Foundation staff and 

 experts from other agencies for informal comments which will be used as the 

 basis for preliminary guidance to the proposers. 



The Foundation has formed two advisory panels. About 50 persons have been 

 invited to participate in a proposal review panel for Sea Grant Projects. This 

 will be a panel from which the Foundation may select task teams of specialists 

 to review individual proposals. In addition, the Foundation has invited nine 

 eminent representatives from universities and industry to serve on the Sea Grant 

 Institutional Support Panel. Because of the wide competence of the members of 

 this panel, the Foundation expects to be able to look to them for general pro- 

 gram guidance as well. When all acceptances have been received from the panel- 

 ists, the Foundation will announce the membership of both panels. At that time. 

 I would appreciate the opportunity of submitting the lists to you. You will find 

 them, I believe, an excellent mix of high competence from the academic, indus- 

 trial, and government ocean communities. 



Since, as authors of the Sea Grant Act, you gentlemen are already conversant 

 with its provisions, I have skipped over the rest of the mechanics of the pro- 

 gram's implementation. 



Now, Mr. Chairman. I should like to make six points of a general nature : 

 First, the Sea Grant College and Program Act of 1966 presents an extremely 

 broad mandate to the Executive Branch. As a matter of practical development, 

 the Foundation has decided to emphasize applied research and training of en- 

 gineers and technicians rather than basic research or education of scientists : 

 we felt this to be the sense of Congress from the various committee reports and 

 hearings. Further, we feel that the available funds will be more usefully em- 

 ployed in this area rather than in the basic research already covered by other 

 sectors of the National Science Foundation and by several other Federal agencies. 



Second, in some ways the most critical problem concerns the interface between 

 the Sea Grant Program and the mission-oriented agencies. Where, for instance, 

 does the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries leave off, and the Sea Grant Program 

 begin? In order to maintain flexibility in the program, we have decided to re- 

 solve questions informally, through very close working-level relation.ships with 

 key people in oiir fellow agencies. Arrangements have been made with all of the 

 Federal agencies to allow quick and easy exploration of each case on its own 

 merits. For instance, I enjoy close contact with Assistant Secretary Cain in In- 

 teiior. with Dr. White, Administrator of the Environmental Science Services 

 Arlministration in Commerce, and with Assistant Secretary Frosch in the Navy. 

 These informal arrangements also can provide immediately the service of ex- 

 perts in these agencies who can assist in evaluating the proposals. 



Tbird, we are now in a position for effective action on proposals which, after 

 all, form the essential building blocks of the program. We hope to be able vdthin 



86-705 O— 68— pt. 1 IS 



