One of the most important areas of emphasis in the Fiscal Year 1992 budget is basic research. Basic research accounts for less than 10 percent of all the R&D done in the United States. But basic research, and particularly the large fraction of basic research done by individual investigators in universities and colleges, is the wellspring from which new knowledge and technical advances flow, not only in the United States but around the world.

Recognizing the many essential contributions of basic research to our national future, the Fiscal Year 1992 budget proposes actions in several federal agencies designed to strengthen the individual and small group investigator component of the scientific enterprise. At the National Science Foundation (NSF) the budget proposes an 18 percent increase, which would get the NSF back on the doubling track established by President Reagan and supported by President Bush.

At the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the budget proposes an increase of 6 percent—to almost $9 billion. Because of the way this increase is structured, it would allow for an increase of 9 percent in NIH's funding for research project grants awarded to individual investigators.

Together, NSF and NIH support over half of the federally funded basic research done in the United States and over 75 percent of the federally funded basic research done in universities. By focusing special attention on these agencies, the administration plans to strengthen the individual investigator and small group research that remains the heart and backbone of American science and technology.

Yet it should be remembered that we will never fully satisfy the needs of university researchers for funds; nor should we. Competition remains an indispensable part of a system based on excellence. The challenge is to balance competition with the needs of the nation and with the many opportunities that now exist within science.

I have been focusing on basic research thus far, but, clearly, basic research cannot be the only component of a nation's R&D enterprise. Many nations have R&D enterprises of great value that include very little basic research. Indeed, in the United States the challenge increasingly is to find ways to exploit more effectively and efficiently the results of basic research, whether it is done here or elsewhere.

Our international trading partners have forged very strong links between government and industry. They have put public and private funds into targeted programs that reduce the risk of technology development. These funds lower the cost to each participant and make it easier to compete. If the United States is to compete in such a marketplace, we cannot force each individual company to reinvent the technological wheel. Rather, the government must act as a catalyst, with federal funding if appropriate, to combine the very real strengths apparent in each component of our R&D enterprise.

Front Matter (R1-R9)

Part One: Symposium Summary (1-2)

Summary (3-14)

Part Two: Summary Presentations (15-16)

The European Community (17-28)

Germany (29-43)

United Kingdom (44-62)

Soviet Union (63-70)

Japan (71-77)

United States (78-94)

Appendixes (95-96)

Symposium Agenda (97-98)

Panelist Biographies (99-103)

Sympoium Participants (104-106)