The partnership in science and technology that has evolved between the Federal government and American universities has yielded benefits that are vital to each. It continues to prove exceptionally productive, successfully promoting the discovery of knowledge, stimulating technological innovation, improving the quality of life, educating and training the next generation of scientists and engineers, and contributing to America’s economic prosperity. As with all successful partnerships, it is occasionally appropriate to review and reaffirm the partnership and find ways to strengthen it.

At the urging of the President’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology, state governors, industry leaders, elected officials, and leaders in education, the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology issued a Presidential Review Directive in September 1996, directing the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) to review the government-university partnership in research and associated educational activities, and to recommend ways to strengthen it. The goal was to assess and reaffirm the principles of the partnership, promote cost-effective university-based research, ensure fair allocation of research costs, and support the linkage between research and education, all while maintaining appropriate accountability for expenditure of public funds. Where appropriate, the findings and recommendations emerging from this review also apply to nonprofit independent research institutes.

The review was carried out by a multiagency Task Force under the auspices of the NSTC Committee on Science. The Task Force solicited the views of universities, university associations, and the Federal research agencies regarding the issues they considered most pressing. These responses provided the basis for the interagency discussions and for the report’s findings and recommendations.

The NSTC finds that the partnership is sound and continues to serve the nation in important ways. The NSTC identified a number of areas in which the partnership can be strengthened and will take action in three areas. First, the NSTC is issuing a proposed statement of the principles of the partnership to clarify the roles, responsibilities, and expectations of the parties and provide a framework for the development and analysis of future policies, rules, regulations, and laws. The principles will be finalized, in consultation with universities and other interested parties, including the Congress, within twelve months from the date this report is issued. Second, the NSTC reaffirms the importance to the nation, to the research enterprise, and to the future scientific and engineering workforce, of the linkage between research and education. The NSTC will take actions to strengthen this linkage, and urges universities to do likewise. Third, the NSTC, through the Federal agencies that fund university-based research, will implement a set of actions to help make the partnership more effective and efficient. Finally, the NSTC will establish a mechanism to provide for ongoing review of the partnership