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Administration priorities for federal support of nondefense research and development emphasize basic research and the concomitant training of students. In 4 years basic research has moved from the smallest to the largest component in nondefense R & D expenditures, and basic research specifically to universities has grown by 26 percent in real terms during that period. New programs for fiscal year 1985 emphasize engineering education and research, as well as improved interactions between universities, federal laboratories, and industry.

Long-term U.S. economic growth requires better use of R & D resources and closer interaction of the academic, government, and industrial research communities. The federal government has proposed to increase support for university research as a key means of addressing national needs for new knowledge in fields important to industrial development and for training of technical personnel. But continuing growth in support for basic research depends on how well the science community can agree on what research investments will have the greatest impact in producing new knowledge.

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