FEDERAL RESEARCH SUPPORT AND ECONOMIC-DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES AT PUBLIC RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES - WHAT IS THE CONNECTION

When the Cold War ended, national concern began to focus on the United States' ability to compete successfully in the global marketplace. Th e federal government responded by establishing new programs and polici es related to science and technology development. Ever attentive to th e possibility of new funding sources, American research universities b egan to engage in activities to promote economic development. Now, pol icy-makers are questioning the economic benefit of federal research su pport for universities, and university administrators are responding w ith information that can best be described as anecdotal. The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) has identified several strategies used by universities to promote economic developmen t. Unfortunately, few details are available on how the level of a univ ersity's federal research support relates to these economic developmen t strategies. This paper helps to clarify this relationship. The autho r surveyed a random sample of 80 senior research administrators at pub lic doctorate-granting universities in the United States. Data were co llected on the economic development orientation and level of federal r esearch support for each participating university. The relationships o f these variables were calculated using correlation techniques. Result s of these analyses suggest that a positive relationship exists betwee n federal research support and university-assisted business developmen t.