Advanced Research Instrumentation and Facilities (2006) / Chapter Skim
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5 Overview of Conclusions, Findings, and Recommendations
5 Overview of Conclusions, Findings, and Recommendations
Pages 89-98
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From page 89... ...
The growth of interdisciplinary research that focuses on large-scale problems demands more instrumentation. Instruments that were once of interest only to specialists are required by a wide array of scientists to solve critical research problems.
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From page 90... ...
(1) Assessment -- Not later than 3 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall enter into an arrangement with the National Academy of Sci ences to assess the need for an interagency program to establish and support fully equipped, state-of-the-art university-based centers for interdisciplinary research and advanced instrumentation development.
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From page 91... ...
1. What are the current programs and policies of the major federal research agencies for advanced research instrumentation?
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From page 92... ...
The committee was surprised by a low response rate from the nation's largest research universities, which may not have had sufficient time to complete the survey or perhaps receive the funding for their instruments from nonfederal sources because of a lack of appropriate federal funding. Few of the responding academic institutions reported having recently acquired ARIF; of 51 respondents, only 18 (35%)
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From page 93... ...
Of the instruments reported in the committee's survey, 63% were purchased and 30% of the instruments and facilities were designed and built by institutions or through contracts with manufacturers. Among the future needs anticipated by institutions were many instruments that straddle the $2 million mark and whose state-of-the-art versions are becoming more expensive, including high-resolution transmission electron microscopes, high-frequency nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers, and tools for materials and nanoscience, such as lithography systems.
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From page 94... ...
4. Would an interagency program to fund midsized advanced research instru ments that are used by researchers funded by many agencies help respond to these challenges?
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From page 95... ...
· PhD-level technical support staff career development and support programs. In the case of program establishment and centralization, the committee believes that each federal research agency should · Establish centralized, transparent, and peer-reviewed programs for ARIF that publicly solicit proposals.
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From page 96... ...
In considering and evaluating proposals, each federal research agency should · Require that proposals from institutions for ARIF contain a business and management plan that includes information on space, technical staffing, and the source of funding for operation and maintenance costs for the instrument. Develop a set of selection criteria that respond to agency goals, such as effectively sharing instrumentation and supporting research field, geographic, institution, and research diversity.
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From page 97... ...
SUMMARY The health and progress of the science and technology research enterprise depend on many types of instrumentation, including the advanced instrumentation and facilities discussed in this report. The committee believes that by taking the steps recommended here, the nation will optimize its investment in research and thus the benefits that research provides to society.
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