A Look at DoD Support of Research: Maintaining the Pipeline for Academic Basic Research
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A Look at DoD Support of Research: Maintaining the Pipeline for Academic Basic Research The Department of Defense (DoD) has been a significant supporter of academic research for almost 60 years. Following the successful contribution of academic scientists and engineers to national security during the Second World War the U.S. government sought to define, for the post war era, the role of university scientists for peacetime and national security purposes. President Roosevelt asked his Science Advisor, Vannevar Bush, to study the issue, and in 1945 Bush delivered his seminal work, "Sdence—The Endless Frontier" to then President Truman. In this work, Bush argued for federal Support of unfettered basic research and the creation of a self-governing National Research Foundation (NRF) with divisions of medical research, natural sciences, and national defense. He also proposed a linear model for research, consisting of basic research, applied research, and advanced development. The self-governing aspect of his proposal caused significant controversy, and the NRF was never established. However, the debate that followed resulted in the creation of the National Science Founda tion (NSF) in 1950. The Department of Defense independently determined to support academic research, and in 1946 the Office of Naval Research (ONR) was established to support advanced research in nuclear physics and other topics of interest to the Navy. The other Services soon followed suit, and the Army Research Office (ARO) was established in 1951 and the predecessor of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) was established in 1952. The Defense Advanced Research and Projects Agency (DARPA) was established in 1958 to focus research and development activity upon high payoff projects of interest to national security. Support for materials science and engineering has always been a primary focus of the DoD research effort, and all DoD Services and agencies have sustained significant efforts directed t o w a r d advanced materials science and technology, with about 30-40% of the research budget directed toward these activities. The main focus of the Tri-Services' offices was to support basic research and to work with the academic Community. ONR was initially organized to counter fears that government sponsorship of uni versity research would be restrictive, burdened with bureaucratic rules, or subject to political pressures. Scientists were encouraged to propose their own projects. No progress reports were required, and refereed publication in the open literature
was sufficient evidence of progress. Support funds were made available for graduate assistants and summer faculty support and awards were multiyear and renewable. The linear model proposed by Bush was adopted and, for the most part, is still in effect. Although the science and technology (S&T) s u p p o r t funds p r o v i d e d to the department by Congress consist of basic research, applied research, and advanced development (denoted as 6.1, 6.2, and 6.3 in the federal budget), AR
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