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- l5 - RESULTS OF THE EXPERIMENT: LESSONS LEARNED In addition to the general observations that were discussed in the preceding paragraphs, a number of specific conclusions can be drawn from the experience of the Chem- istry Program. The conclusions offer useful guidelines for establishing future programs that use the same gen- eral model. l. Strong educational institutions should be in- volved in the host country as the focal points for the program's graduate research and teaching. Good existing graduate programs with strong faculties and adequate research facilities are essential for the successful introduction of new lines of research. A program along the lines of the Brazilian model can accelerate progress or introduce new lines of work, but it cannot be effec- tive in a department that must be built from the ground up. 2. To the extent that programs can be linked to national development needs, support and interest are likely to be stronger. Programs of this type, require significant financial inputs and a degree of extraordinary administrative support and flexibility. Thus, a percep- tion that a program will have certain direct benefits to national development and will not merely represent aca- demic or theoretical interests is important. 3. If programs are to be successful, the host coun- try ccmmitment needs to be long-range. Research efforts, the training of students, and the building of institu- tional and personal relationships between countries take time. Moreover, ongoing support is needed to ensure that the students trained in special programs are given re- levant work opportunities. For example, a number of participants in the Brazil program suggested that it would have been useful if students could have taken a certain amount of basic equipment with them after finishing graduate work in order to continue their research
- l6 - in their new locations. It would also be helpful if mod- est starter grants were available to help former graduate students keep their research active. H. Related to the need for long-range comnitment is the importance of a gradual transition at the end of a program. Access to funds, supplies and equipment should not be terminated so abruptly that research work suffers, nor should program participants be made to feel that their work is no longer important or useful. 5. Basic administrative and technical support is essential to the smooth operation of a program, and support needs and services should be carefully considered in advance. The introduction of unfamiliar equipment and lines of research creates special demands for maintenance and repair, spare parts, and chemicals. If these suppor- ting services are unavailable or can be obtained only with delays and difficulties, the attainment of program objectives will be delayed. Similarly, the introduction â literally â of foreign bodies into an existing system such as a university will create special administrative demands related to salaries, housing and a wide range of personal and professional matters. 6. Clear understandings should be reached at the onset of a program with regard to the roles of various participants such as the Fellows, the senior panel mem- bers from the participating countries, and the program coordinators. The role of the visiting senior professors should be defined, for example, so that their research and teaching experience will be used effectively and they will not simply become "trouble shooters" for the Fellows. The relationship of Fellows to local faculty and graduate students, their status in the university, and their degree of responsibility for research and teaching all need to be carefully defined. Within the larger context of the total program, the objectives and expectations of parti- cipating institutions, departments, and individuals need to be considered, and compatible arrangements agreed upon, before projects are initiated. 7. Having a projected time limitation for joint participation was an important concept for the Brazil Chemistry Program. Both for host country and foreign participants, the realization that the time available is
- l7 - limited and that the projects will ultimately be the full responsibility of local institutions is good discipline. From the outset, it was clear that full development of new chemistry laboratories and production of Ph.D.s would take seven to ten years. Several participants have suggested that seven years seemed to be a very appropriate initial target for the binational aspect of the program; it was of sufficient length to offer the possibility of sustained effort, yet not so long that a certain sense of urgency was lost. Moreover, it was agreed that a thorough review of the program would take place at the end of five years; had a decision been reached that satisfactory pro- gress was not being made, the program could have been greatly modified or ended. 8. Continuity of effort is of the greatest impor- tance to individual projects in a program; in particular, the orderly succession of Fellows is critical when local institutions have committed themselves to a project. In a few projects in the Brazil program, considerable time elapsed from the termination of one MAS Fellow to the assignment of a replacement, thus causing disruption in the research and the work of graduate students. The need for continuity is also important with respect to senior foreign professors and the local senior professors. 9. If possible, the financial support for a program should include provision for ongoing exchange of visits and information among former program participants and other scientists in the countries concerned. As mention- ed earlier, one disappointment in the Brazil program has been the failure to maintain a very lively exchange be- tween Brazilian and U.S. scientists, largely because of a lack of money to support travel. If both countries could provide rather modest annual sums for travel grants, the impact of the program could be greatly extended and multiplied. l0. A useful adjunct to the basic program model may be to provide for certain graduate students who have com- pleted their work to do postdoctoral work abroad, espec- ially in the laboratories of the senior foreign professors. Such an approach will give them an additional enriching educational experience, broaden their exposure to inter- national work in their field, create a two-way linkage
- l8 - between the overseas institution and their home base, and prepare them to function when they return home in the role once filled by an overseas Fellow, but with the add- ed advantage of intimate knowledge of the local system. Similarly, it would be useful to find the means to en- able especially promising graduate students to broaden their horizons by attending international scientific meetings. ll. The fact that the U.S. senior professors were concentrated in a relatively few institutions was bene- ficial. It was important, of course, that the U.S. participants were drawn from departments of great stature in the field of chemistry. More than this, however, the concentration facilitated communication among the U.S. participants and created a high visibility for the pro- gram among their colleagues. This visibility was useful as a means of getting opinions on research problems, obtaining recommendations for potential NAS Fellows, and recruiting visiting lecturers. l2. The role of the Overseas Research Fellows and their performance on the job are critical to the entire program concept. The Fellows must be mature and sensitive in their adjustment to a new culture and work environment. They must have sufficient professional breadth to initiate research and train students. Their selection and place- ment, therefore, assume large proportions in the overall program effort. The experience of the Brazil Chemistry Program demon- strated the need for careful selection of Fellows â to a very great extent, the success of projects was directly correlated to the initiative and adaptability of the in- dividual Fellow. Participants agree that the host country professor who will work with the Fellow should play a large role in selection and orientation, probably through visits to the sending country. The opportunity for serious candidates for the Fellowship to visit Brazil in advance was a further selection mechanism that is viewed as of the greatest importance. It is extremely useful if the Overseas Fellow has been associated with the laboratory of the sponsoring senior foreign professor. Brazilian participants further
- l9 - agreed that practical experience in starting research projects is a great advantage to the Fellows; without this experience, too much time may be wasted by false starts or failure to foresee difficulties. l3. The professional standing and job opportunities for Overseas Research Fellows upon returning to their own country are matters that deserve special attention. Some Fellows in the Brazil program felt that their work was little known or understood in U.S. institutions other than those connected with the program. As a result, a substantial percentage of returning Fellows experienced considerable difficulty in obtaining a suitable perma- nent job; this problem was overcome in some cases only by extraordinary efforts by the senior U.S. professors. Continuing efforts in providing information about the program might help alleviate this problem to some extent while also helping in the recruitment of new Fellows. It seems clear, however, that special steps are needed in such a program to link prospective employers with the Fellows well in advance of the close of their Fellow- ships. l4. The roles of senior host country professors, senior foreign professors, and the program coordinators in each country are vital. The stature of senior host country professors is crucial in attracting good graduate students to a project and in enlisting the cooperation of other faculty members. The stature of the senior foreign professors also is of great jjnportance for several reasons: association with them can be an important aid in the recruitment of Fellows; their involvement can assist in the raising of funds and in attracting support and cooperation from institutions and from other scientists; and their advice can be an important element in ijiiproving the substance of the re- search efforts carried out through the program. The role of program coordinator in each country re- quires a person of tact, dettermination, and the ability to keep the broad program concept in view, despite the distractions of individual project demands. Because of the many institutions and individuals involved in a program supported by different budgets and representing
- 20 - a range of interests that are sometimes in competition, it is necessary for one person on each side â the pro- gram coordinator â to follow the various situations closely, anticipate and resolve problems, reinforce achievements, keep all concerned parties informed of the program's status, and try to meld diverse interests into a common purpose. l5. The program coordination in the host country should be centered in an institution that can maintain a good overview of the various projects and provide effective centralized support. In Brazil, the CNPq played this role and experience demonstrated the critical im- portance of such continuity and the support it provided within the government. l6. A final lesson to be noted is the need to view the program model as a guideline, but not as a boundary that cannot be crossed. Sufficient flexibility should be encouraged to take advantage of opportunities that seem useful and sensible, even though they may represent de- partures from the model. In the Brazil program, for example, one or two situations arose in which highly cap- able young faculty members of Brazilian universities had received training abroad in research lines relevant to the program and thus they performed the same function as the NAS Fellows in other situations.
