Skip to main content

Research Restructuring and Assessment Can We Apply the Corporate Experience to Government Agencies? (1995) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:

6 Performance Assessment Activities at NSF
Pages 47-51

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 47...
... Research universities are the primary place in which NSF invests its money to conduct research, so we feel very much involved with these issues. It is clear that we must be accountable for the money that we get from the federal government.
Read the entire page →
From page 48...
... We think it helps document who inv~..ctm~.nt in re..~.nr`~h chml1~1 rmntinilP , <, _ r ~ J ~ ~ A ~ ~ A A ~ _ V _ ~ _ ~ ^ V ^ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 1 ~ ~ ~ 4 ~ _ ~ Industry is unlikely to spend much more than it already spends in funding basic research because it is very difficult to appropriate the results of those investments because basic research usually has broad impact in many different fields. We therefore believe it is the particular role of the federal government to make those investments.
Read the entire page →
From page 49...
... A couple of things come to mind. First, the federal government has stimulated research universities to value research so much that they have come to devalue the educational mission.
Read the entire page →
From page 50...
... They are extremely diverse. We have to be able to say that putting money in basic research is as important or more important to society than putting that money in housing or other things.
Read the entire page →
From page 51...
... It is something that responds to a lot of pressure that we are feeling within the federal government, certainly at NSF, to be much more quantitative about assessing what we do, evaluating our performance, and justifying our existence. I found it interesting that this is a concept that industry seems to adopt for itself, in other words, that you cannot quantify everything that you do, and you cannot assess everything quantitatively.
Read the entire page →

Key Terms

  • qualitative judgments
  • role educating
  • funding basic
  • ferocious pace
  • specific outcomes

  • research usually
  • training grants
  • writing lots
  • convince people
  • industry research

  • veterans administration
  • graduate stipends
  • defense handles
  • apply equally
  • ultimate impact

  • research culture
  • plan recently
  • role developing
  • positive attitudes
  • fostering tighter

  • changing world
  • role improving
  • fundamental function
  • universities reflect
  • government probably

  • scientifically literate
  • urban development
  • company survives
  • literate public
  • natural public


    • This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
    More information on Chapter Skim is available.