In the knowledge-based economy, R&D centers in service industries increasingly depend on the performance of knowledge workers to gain competitive advantage. Therefore, these centers must give careful consideration to the performance assessment and continuous improvement of knowledge workers using appropriate performance assessment systems and…

As described in "Go8 Backgrounder 24: Answering the Global Challenge--Experiences from European Excellence Initiatives," Germany began a debate about how to strengthen its position as an excellent location for science and research in 2004. This debate focussed in particular on the competitiveness of the country's universities and…

The convergence of US federal science and economic policy that began in earnest in the Reagan administration formed the first stage in an emerging post-Cold War drive toward technological innovation. A frenzy of new state-based initiatives now forms the Second Stage, further promoting universities as decisive tools for economic competitiveness.…

The authors, present and recent presidents of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), discuss that organization's endorsement of federal funding for long-term, large-scale educational research and development and its insistence that current competition for funding be both fair and open. (GC)

Lee Iacocca is steering his alma mater's drive to raise money to develop a facility for linking the university's two campuses, housing programs on regional and national economic development, and establishing an institute for research on economic competitiveness. (MSE)

As research equipment becomes more sophisticated and expensive, and as the number of scientists and engineers choosing academic careers shrinks, the start-up costs for recruiting researchers are skyrocketing. The cost typically includes money to provide equipment, facilities, and support needed to set up laboratories and begin research. (MLW)

A research network called the European Institute of Technology will be created by major European technology companies. The institute will seek to encourage greater collaboration among academic and industrial researchers in Europe by financing research in fields relevant to long-term needs of sponsoring companies. (MLW)

Twelve proposed priorities, drafted by the Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement, will dictate the aims and lines of inquiry of research centers whose contracts will expire next year. The new competition is especially large because the contracts for 14 of the 21 present centers expire. (MLW)

When Jackson State University officials and their collaborators assembled a proposal for a $12 million social and behavioral research center to combat terrorism, they hoped Federal officials would give a nod of approval to what they believed was a high-value concept. The proposal, Featuring the predominantly White Mississippi State University as…

This paper analyzes the organizational strategies and dynamics of cooperation appropriate to research consortia. The experiences of nine existing research consortia are reviewed in an effort to propose guidelines for practice in the design of research consortia, and to expand understanding of the nature of interinstitutional cooperation. The nine…

Discusses crises in general education, in university basic research, and in industry, suggesting that educational institutions, industry and government must each play a role in revitalizing United States industrial preeminence in world markets. Outlines possible solutions for dealing with foreign competition. (JN)

There is a strong potential role for land-grant institutions, to provide technology education programs and outreach to industry. There is also a role for the federal government in stimulating, assisting, and coordinating a nationwide network of regional, state, and local programs for technology development and industrial extension. (MLW)

Eleven articles discuss informational and educational programs of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Some of the areas discussed include scientific and technical information management, the new Space and Earth Science Information Systems, transfer of technology to other industries, intellectual property issues, and the…

Historically, universities have been the principal performers of basic research in the United States, but they are now joined by federal government laboratories, independent research centers, and industrial laboratories. This paper reviews the available data on issues concerning the distribution of R&D resources among cate- gories of research…

The status of Arizona's effort to encourage the creation and expansion of high technology based on the discoveries and new knowledge developed at its research universities is discussed. The study of the University of Arizona and Arizona State University was recommended by the Arizona Board of Regents' Task Force on Excellence, Efficiency and…