From the 2003 Annual Report

In 2003 the Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable (GUIRR) expanded its focus on the status and trends of the U.S. science and engineering (S&E) workforce to include the broader implications of globalization on both the workforce and the R&D enterprise. This expanded focus predated by many months the significant press coverage on offshoring, outsourcing, and the vitality of the U.S. economy. In its first meeting of 2003, held in March, the GUIRR membership voiced concern about sustaining U.S. technological leadership in the face of globalization trends. Subsequently, both the June 2003 meeting, The Impact of Globalization on U.S. R&D Policy, and the November 2003 meeting, Collaborating in a Globalized World focused on designing a globally responsive U.S. science policy. A panel discussion on the effects and consequences of an emerging China as a major tech player highlighted many of the issues at stake.

Facets of a globally responsive U.S. science policy were covered in a July workshop on National Laboratory-University collaborations, Building New Ways to Work Together, and in an August Congress on Re-Engineering Intellectual Property. The latter event was co-sponsored with the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) and the Industrial Research Institute. It led directly to the formation of four industry-university teams who are working to change the culture and practice of U.S. university-industry research partnerships. Of particular concern was the decreasing rate of financial commitment to U.S. universities for industry-sponsored research, at the same time that industry-sponsored university research was making solid gains overseas. This trend continues as we write at the close of 2003.

In other GUIRR activities, the Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) formed a close working relationship with the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s (OSTP) Research Business Model’s Subcommittee in 2003. The goals of the Research Business Models (RBM) Subcommittee are to facilitate a coordinated effort across federal agencies to address important policy implications arising from the changing nature of scientific research, and examine the effects of these changes on business models for the conduct of scientific research sponsored by the federal government. In 2003 RBM held several open meetings with the community and the FDP institutions were actively involved. The FDP will continue to work with the subcommittee in developing pilot projects and demonstrations in the upcoming year.

With the increased attention on the economy in the upcoming election year, 2004 is likely to bring even more public interest to the issues of globalization, the labor market, and the future of U.S.-led technology. GUIRR’s unique tri-sectored membership will allow it to bring a fresh vantage point to these and any other challenges we may face in the year ahead!

Marye Anne Fox Co-Chair	William H. Joyce Co-Chair