Federal funding in materials research

The performance of the 20 materials research laboratories (MRL's) at universities funded with institutional grants by the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration is evaluated in comparison with 15 other universities (non-MRL's) receiving individually funded projects for materials research. Performance is measured by peer review and citation frequency analysis of publications, subjective evaluation of research achievements and researcher reputation by a panel of experts, review of equipment purchases and utilization, and analysis of administrative costs. The study concludes that there are no significant differences between the MRL's and non-MRL's with respect to innovation, interdisciplinarity, utilization of specialized equipment, concentration of funding, rate of tumover, duration of research areas, and level of effort per research paper. The MRL's have a greater number of major achievements and attract researchers with higher reputations. The MRL's tend to emphasize experimental work, and in about 70 percent of the materials research areas sponsored by the National Science Foundation there is no overlap between the two groups. Institutional grants involve much less total (federal plus university) administrative cost per grant dollar than project grants.     

Federal funding of basic research: the red tape mill

Federal regulations and concerns about accountability for public funds have added greatly to the administrative burden associated with federal support of research at universities. Much of the added burden is viewed as unnecessary and counterproductive by the scientists and administrators who must bear the load. They feel that funds and effort intended for research are being diverted and wasted. The various types of costs are reviewed, including some thoughts as to their origin and estimates of their magnitude. Topics covered include project versus programmatic support, the indirect cost game, accountability, federal regulations, and the bureaucratic syndrome. There are no simple solutions, but several promising initiatives have been taken and more should be forthcoming.     

新形势下医学高职院校图书馆的藏书建设

从其合理定位、特色藏书、藏书结构、资源布置、藏书经费、藏书剔除、资源共享等几个方面论述了医学高职院校图书馆的藏书建设。