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A New Vision for Center-Based Engineering Research (2017) / Chapter Skim
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5 Structure and Operations
Pages 44-49

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From page 44...
... Some multidisciplinary research center initiatives in other parts of the world, including Germany's Collaborative Research Centers program and the Spokes program of Science Foundation Ireland, provide supplementary grants to help centers engage new industrial partners.3 Foreign centers have recognized the importance of being agile and adaptable in terms of addressing opportunities and barriers to translation, scale-up, and industrialization.4 1  See, for example, R Kurzweil, 2001, "The Law of Accelerating Returns," March 7, http://www.kurzweilai.net/the-law-of-accelerating-returns.
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From page 45...
... RECOMMENDATION 5-1: To keep pace with a rapidly evolving technological and economic landscape, National Science Foundation program managers should give the convergent engineering research centers director and leadership team the flexibility and authority to adapt their research plans and add and subtract partners as required, so long as they remain accountable for these changes. The CERC's vision will evolve over its NSF funding lifetime, as will the stakeholders and key players.
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From page 46...
... FINDING 5-2: Problems of global scale and convergence require continuous and deep collaboration. RECOMMENDATION 5-2: The National Science Foundation should only support new convergent engineering research centers whose members exhibit the collaboration skills, experiences, and personal attitudes required to be successful.
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From page 47...
... RECOMMENDATION 5-4: Whenever possible and appropriate, future centers should leverage unique instrumentation and facilities at different sites, both experimental and computational, to help achieve major research results. FINDING 5-5: Center-based engineering research focused on grand-challenge-like problems of significant complexity and scale invites collaboration among multiple agencies.
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From page 48...
... RECOMMENDATION 5-5: Cognizant program staff at the National Science Foundation (NSF) should have responsibility for identifying and collaborating with other agencies' programs that relate to the missions of NSF centers.
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From page 49...
... Although major advances should be expected of CERCs, the full impact of a CERC's research may not be apparent after 10 years. RECOMMENDATION 5-6: "Sun-setting" of National Science Foundation funding for convergent engineering research centers should not be automatic; the centers should be allowed to continue to compete for renewals, assuming rigorous performance criteria are met.
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Key Terms

  • convergent engineering
  • deep collaboration
  • international approaches
  • neering research
  • multidisciplinary research

  • brain research
  • collaboration plans
  • multidisciplinary engineering
  • center initiatives
  • team science

  • interagency collaboration
  • formal collaboration
  • national nanotechnology
  • meaningful collaboration
  • commercial value

  • technical instrumentation
  • unique technical
  • advanced manufacturing
  • accelerate fundamental
  • rigorous performance

  • achieve major
  • multiple agencies
  • manufacturing partnership
  • genome initiative
  • innovative neurotechnologies

  • performance criteria
  • current ercs
  • innovation economy
  • nanotechnology initiative
  • materials genome


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