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ISSUES FOR THE 1990S & BEYOND 22 Issues for the 1990s & Beyond The trends of the past decade converge to pose three major challenges to the academic research enterprise. As stated at the outset of this report, the challenges are: To maintain the over-all quality of the nation's universities and their academic research in an increasingly diversified, financially constrained environment; to ensure sufficient scientific and technical human resources to meet the nation's research mission; and to enhance the nation's ability to address new scientific and technological opportunities and concomitant societal demands. To meet these challenges, it will be necessary to confront and resolve a number of complex, often inter-connected issues that affect the current status of the academic research enterprise. To begin that process, the Working Group here sets out what it believes to be the most critical issues confronting the enterprise. They are organized in five categories: Role of universities, the organization and management of universities, conduct of research and transfer of knowledge, education of scientists and engineers, and funding of academic research. The Working Group believes all are relevant to each stakeholder in the enterprise. ROLE OF UNIVERSITIES What is the optimal role of universities within the nation's over-all research system? Research opportunities are increasing in size and complexity, often requiring large scale organizational settings for their performance. In addition, advances in fundamental knowledge are increasingly relevant to technology development. What types of research will best be conducted by university-based scientists and engineers? What should be the roles of other research organizations, such as industrial, non-profit, and governmental laboratories? Should universities re-focus or narrow their priorities in research and education? Does the country need new types of research institutions to address scientific and technological opportunities and needs? What is the appropriate role for universities in addressing national and regional priorities? Concern for improving the nation's international competitiveness has generated expectations that universities, in partnership with industry, will provide scientific and technological breakthroughs in key commercial areas. State and local officials increasingly urge their public universities to contribute to regional development through applied research and cooperation with resident industries. What should be the relationship between national research-support policies and national, regional, state, and local economic-development policies? To what degree should universities respond to public expectations for them to address specific national or regional social, political, and economic priorities? How can universities maintain their independence while increasing their involvement in extramural research activities?
