Chapter 2 The Science Enterprise Today 



Marine science, like most other science in 

 America today, is a highly competitive field, a 

 field so much in the spirit of the free enterprise 

 system as to be an almost classic example. 



It has products, buyers, sellers, and a market- 

 place. Its customers, for the most part, are Federal 

 agencies; its sellers are scientists and scientific 

 institutions; its products are ideas and programs, 

 and its marketplace is Washington. 



In fiscal year 1968, marine research and de- 

 velopment in the Federal Government accounted 

 for an estimated $249.5 million, an increase of 

 $55 milhon over 1966 or approximately a 28 

 per cent increase in two years. This is exclusive of 

 a $72 million investment in capital facilities such as 

 ships, some of which will be used to support basic 

 science. Funding of the National marine science 

 program for 1966-1968 by various categories is 

 shown in Table 1 . 



Table 1. PROGRAM PLAN FOR 

 MARINE SCIENCES AND TECHNOL- 

 OGY BY FUNCTIONAL AREA 

 (in millions of dollars) 



The major customers within the Federal estab- 

 lishment are the National Science Foundation, the 

 Department of Defense (principally the Navy), the 

 Department of the Interior and its many marine- 

 related bureaus. Other buyers of scientific pro- 

 grams and projects include the Department of 

 Commerce (Environmental Science Services 

 Administration and Maritime Administration), the 

 Department of Transportation (Coast Guard), the 

 Atomic Energy Commission, and the National 

 Aeronautics and Space Administration. The size of 

 the market provided by each of the Federal 

 agencies is shown in Table 2. The Department of 

 Defense by far dominates the market, providing 

 over half the total. However, a significant change 

 can be observed as other aspects of marine science 



Table 2. TOTAL FEDERAL MARINE 



SCIENCE PROGRAM BY DEPARTMENT 



AND AGENCY (in millions of dollars)^ 



Source: 1967 and 1968 

 Affairs. 



ecJitions of Marine Science 



totals due to rounding. 



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