E. Geisler, WHEN WHALES ARE CAST ASHORE - THE CONVERSION TO RELEVANCY OF AMERICANUNIVERSITIES AND BASIC SCIENCE, IEEE transactions on engineering management, 42(1), 1995, pp. 3-8
This article suggests that the conversion of defense to civilian R&D a
nd the movement to make universities and federal labs more responsive
to industrial needs are threatening the nation's basic science capabil
ities. The roles of the federal government, industry, and universities
in the support, production and utilization of basic research are anal
yzed. The article concludes that due to declining federal support for
academic research, universities are under pressure to find alternative
sources of funding. Industry's effort to outsource research provides
universities with some financial relief. The two trends combine to thr
eaten the university's function as the main supplier of basic science.
The article recommends federal and industrial science policies that i
ncrease funding levels of basic research in order to relieve pressures
on universities. Emphasis should also be placed on improving mechanis
ms for commercialization of results from basic research between univer
sities and industry, and within the companies themselves.