Research Teams and Partnerships Trends in the Chemical Sciences, Report of a Workshop (1999) / Chapter Skim
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2 Partnerships in Research: The Evolution of Expectations
2 Partnerships in Research: The Evolution of Expectations
Pages 21-27
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From page 21... ...
THE PRE-WORLD WAR II ERA The pre-World War II era witnessed a transition from industrial technology based largely on the work of inventors like Edison, Ford, and the Wright brothers, to the development of new technology by separately organized R&D departments in large corporations. American universities were only beginning to challenge Europe in fundamental chemical research and the production of doctoral-level chemists and engineers.
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From page 22... ...
Responding to the Bush model of the centrality of basic research, many major corporations set up fundamental research laboratories, usually isolated from the company's business operations. A key aspect of the R&D model at the time was corporate self-sufficiency; that is, during the golden age, large corporations sought to develop their own capabilities in each area of technology on which 1 Vannevar Bush, Science-The Endless Frontier: A Report to the President (Washington, D.C.: U.S.
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From page 23... ...
Not unreasonably, the attention of university researchers focused almost entirely on the federal government as a source of funds. As the 1960s wore on, political and social turbulence began to envelop university campuses, leading to a significant estrangement between academia and the corporate sector, even though the engineering schools by and large were not much engaged in the dialogue about the Vietnam War or civil rights.
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From page 24... ...
In the late 1970s, MIT established a research center in the field of polymer processing with financial support by government and with financial support and active participation in the research by industry. This activity set the stage for much of the government support of industry-university cooperative research in the ensuing decade, including the highly successful Engineering Research Centers program of NSF.
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From page 25... ...
One response to this perception was the passage of the Federal Technology Transfer Act in 1986. This act directed the federal laboratories not only to transfer technology to industry, but also to engage in "cooperative research and development agreements" with firms and consortia.
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From page 26... ...
A well-functioning technology transfer operation is now essential for universities and laboratories, and the job of external technology manager is of increasing importance in firms. Today's industrial R&D organizations follow a cooperative model that is the antithesis of Bush's model with its outmoded focus on separation of roles, self-reliance in industrial R&D, and "basic research is best." In the new environment, there has been little demand for change in federal R&D policy since 1992, other than calls for greater federal spending on R&D and for a more thoughtful allocation of existing federal funds among national security, biomedical, and all other national objectives.
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From page 27... ...
This report may not change anything, but it is at least an attempt. Christopher Hill: Vernon Ehlers, a member of Congress from Michigan, was given the formal task by then-Speaker Gingrich to come up with a new Vannevar Bush report.
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