SE MC CORMACK, WASH RICHARD L. OTTINGER, MY. TOM HARRIN KIWA JIM LLOTO CALIF. JEROME A AMBRO, NY. MARILYN LLOYD BOUGUARD. TENL JAMES J. BLANCHARD, MICK DOUG WALGHEN, PA. ROPOSE G. FLIPPO ALA DAN QUICKMAN KANG ALBERT GOAR, JR. TEMPL ROCHOLAS MAVROULES, MARS BERYL ANTHONY, JR. ART. STANLEY M. LUNDINE, NY. ALLEN & EXTEL PA KENT HANGE, TEL JOHN W. WYDLER. N.Y. LARRY WINN, JR... KANS MANUEL LUJAN JR.... MEX ROBERT K. DORMAN, CALIF. DONALD LAWRENCE RITTER, PA. Dr. Richard Atkinson Director National Science Foundation Washington, D.C. 20550 Dear Dick: As you know, I have had a long and substantial interest in expanding scientific cooperation internationally but particularly with Mexico. Last spring I went to Mexico to review U.S./Mexico scientific programs. In connection with our authorization of the Foundation, I would like to obtain a brief review of developments which may or may not have occurred since that date. To that end, I would like to raise several questions which have occurred to me. It would greatly assist me, if you could provide me with a brief answer before the middle of the month. I hope you will feel free to call upon me if our staff can be of assistance in this matter. I look forward to hearing from you in the near future. Sincerely, Doye George E. Brown, Jr., Chairman NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION March 14, 1980 OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR SCIENTIFIC TECHNOLOGICAL AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS Honorable George E. Brown, Jr. Chairman, Subcommittee on Science, Research and Technology Committee on Science and Technology House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Mr. Brown: Dr. Atkinson has asked me to reply to your letter of February 11, 1980, in which you inquired about recent developments in NSF cooperative programs with Mexico. You submitted a set of questions which I will attempt to answer in the same order in which they were asked. 1. Please provide an estimate of the total amount of cooperative research involving U.S. and Mexican scientists. How much research also is provided for U.S. scientists working in Mexico? How much research is conducted jointly with scientists from smaller private and regional universities in Mexico? Attached you will find a listing of those projects that NSF and its Mexican counterpart, the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) have jointly approved and supported in fiscal year 1979, and the ones that have thus far been approved and funded for the first half of fiscal year 1980. I also attach a listing of all previous projects that have been approved since the start of the cooperative programs with Mexico in 1973. In response to your question as to how much research is conducted jointly with scientists from smaller private and regional universities in Mexico, we have made a retrospective analysis of all projects in the U.S.-Mexico Cooperative Science Program back to 1973, and come up with the following breakdown: Honorable George E. Brown 2. 2. Can you briefly describe the institutional and funding arrangements you have for joint research with Mexico or involving U.S. scientists in Mexico? The institutional arrangement which we have developed with the Mexican National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT) in the joint administration of the U.S.-Mexico Cooperative Science Program is the following: Both NSF and CONACYT receive matching proposals from their own national scientists for a cooperative project. Both NSF and CONACYT review the proposals which they receive, and then jointly reach a decision in favor of support or rejection of a given pair of proposals submitted to them. When a favorable decision is reached, NSF supports those costs associated with the U.S. scientists' participation in the cooperative project and CONACYT supports the costs of the Mexican applicants for their collaboration with their U.S. colleagues in the same project. 3. It is my understanding that in the past the National Science Foundation would support the U.S. scientists on a joint project whereas Mexico supports its scientists on a joint project. Does the sharing of costs have to be done on a precise 50:50 ratio? Is funding for any given project allocated on the basis of the availability of equipment and resources in each country? The sharing of costs is not a mechanical 50:50 ratio. The costs are borne by each side in proportion to the effort carried out by each side. If, for instance, most of the travel costs contemplate U.S. scientists going to Mexico, obviously the budget of the U.S. applicants to NSF would show much larger travel costs than the budget submitted by the Mexican collaborator to CONACYT. Budget requests and proposal descriptions to either side take into account the availability of resources and equipment that each side already has in place, or expects to obtain from other sources than the U.S.-Mexico Program. It is usual that in a cooperative program major equipment and personnel costs have already been supported by the ongoing domestic programs of each side, be they from NSF or CONACYT or from other domestic or international agencies. 4. Are there any types of research or funding guidelines which might restrict cooperation between any particular types of university or scientific institution in this country and institutions in other countries? Are there restrictions on the use of funds for various purposes? Specifically, are there any restrictions on spending money for travel to Mexico or elsewhere? There are no restrictions on the part of NSF as to what kinds of U.S. institutions can participate and compete for funds under the U.S.-Mexico Program. It has to be understood, however, that the support which NSF offers under this Program typically is of a supplementary nature limited to cover those additional costs incurred by U.S. scientists in extending some of their ongoing research interests into an international cooperative context. This implies that most of the basic domestic research, equipment and salary costs are already covered from other sources, be they NSF or other U.S. agency domestic research support programs or other state or private agencies. Honorable George E. Brown 3. There are no restrictions on the uses of funds under NSF grants other than those dictated by standard NSF and Federal policies. Under the International Cooperative Science Programs, in general NSF will support mainly those budget items which are clearly related to the international cooperative effort. Those costs which are related to the domestic research efforts of U.S. participants are discouraged in proposals to the International Programs of NSF because they would be covered by other domestic research support sources such as the domestic programs of NSF or other U.S. technical agencies. Therefore, the most common budget items which are supported under the Cooperative Program with Mexico are those which cover travel to Mexico, living expenses while in Mexico, transport of existing equipment and supplies, transport of samples and other research collections where applicable, and costs of expendables while in Mexico or engaged in cooperative research. In the case of workshops and scientific visits obviously the most important expenditure which NSF supports is the travel cost of U.S. scientists going to Mexico or elsewhere in the U.S. to meet with their Mexican colleagues. 5. If a Mexican scientist seeks to collaborate with American scientists does the Foundation have a policy for or against assisting them in making contact with American colleagues? If the Foundation cannot provide this service, what U.S. agencies might? If a Mexican scientist seeks to collaborate with a U.S. scientist or scientists, NSF allows the U.S. applicants to request NSF funds to travel and meet Mexican scientists to further develop their collaborative relationship when a case can be made that such travel is crucial to the development of a cooperative science project. NSF does not support the travel of Mexican scientists under this program. That is the responsibility of CONACYT or other travel support sources available to Mexican scientists. NSF supports program development workshops in selected topics which have been agreed to by NSF and CONACYT and which constitute priority fields for cooperation between both countries--such has been the case with ocean sciences and tropical ecology, where such workshops were held in the past two years. Normally, scientists in any given field of research know who else is doing the same kind of research through the technical literature and conferences. 6. Do you anticipate any expansion of joint Mexican/U.S. research in the future in light of the recently concluded science and technology agreements? The recent activities surrounding Congressional, Presidential and high level U.S. science agencies staff visits to Mexico as well as the Third U.S.-Mexico Mixed Commission Meeting of last year, have had a positive impact on the growth of the U.S.-Mexico Cooperative Science Program. There has been a larger number of proposals made to NSF, and NSF has increased its grants and total amount spent on the U.S.-Mexico Program from the past years. In FY1978 NSF spent $259,190; in FY1979 this went up to $339,693, or a 31% increase. Honorable George E. Brown 4. 7. Are there any restrictions to your knowledge on dissemination of research results performed under joint research projects? There are no restrictions on the dissemination of research results under NSF supported cooperative projects. The results are usually published in the international scientific literature. On this count, the U.S.-Mexico Program has been very productive. 8. In what ways do you think these programs could be strengthened further and how could the Committee assist the Foundation in developing a stronger program over the long term? The Program with Mexico is strong. It could certainly use more funds within the present guidelines. I do hope that these answers are useful to you. Should you or your staff have additional concerns, Dr. Eduardo Feller of my staff should be able to help you. He can be reached at 632-5811. Enclosures Sincerely yours, Чельня Harvey Averch Assistant Director Scientific, Technological and International Affairs |