The Future of Our Nation’s Research Enterprise

1. The Future of Our Nation’s Research Enterprise Kelvin K. DroegemeierOffice of the Vice President for ResearchUniversity of OklahomaOSRHE 2011 Summer Grant Writing Institute3 August 2011

2. The Importance of Research • “The solution of virtually all the problems with which the government is concerned – health, education, environment, energy, urban development, international relations, space, economic competitiveness, and defense and national security – all depend on creating new knowledge.” Eric Bloch, Director National Science Foundation 1986

3. The Importance of Research • “The organization known as Microsoft Research exists – and research itself must be done – so we can be prepared for the unknown.” Rick Rashid, President Microsoft Research 2007

4. What Has Research Facilitated During the Past 100 Years? • Internal combustion engine • Air travel • The laser • Computers • Nuclear energy • Carbon dating • DNA sequencing • Vaccines and penicillin • Disease-resistant plants • Our understanding of how societies evolve

5. Original Mode of Scholarship Raphael (1509-1510)

6. Industrial Revolution and World War II Lead to Contemporary Structure of Academia: Specialized and Separated Engineering Sociology Chemistry Political Science Physics

7. Joplin Tornado: The Stovepipes Let Us Down What Went Wrong??? Right?

8. Problems at the Boundaries Social and Behavioral Sciences Physical Science Technology and Engineering Policy Economics

9. The Research Spectrum Transdisciplinary Interdisciplinary Multi-Disciplinary Disciplinary D. Lightfoot NSF

10. The 21st Century Will Require Different Structures and Approaches • Stovepipes Facilitated Great Things + New Disciplines and Industries • Some of the great intellectual challenges of the future do not lend themselves to a mostly single-discipline approach • Traditional education will need to transform into active learning and engagement • Transferring knowledge and technology into practical applications – and building wealth – will be the primary driver…not prestige

11. Where are WeToday?

12. VERY Challenging Times – Philosophically and Economically • Fundamental value proposition of the research university is being lost because of the cost of higher education • Legitimate questions are being asked • Why do faculty teach only one or two courses per semester and spend only 6-8 hours in the classroom? • Faculty do themselves no favors: • “If the stupid public just understood” • Once the budget crisis is over, we’ll get back to business as usual • Higher education is at a crossroads, and the research university is being challenged to define its role – and it must

13. Research and the Public Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it, nothing can succeed. -- Abraham Lincoln Courtesy A. Leshner, AAAS

14. Lots of Reports (and Errors!)

15. Accusations and Rebuttals

18. Challenges (Opportunities) • ISN’T GOING TO HAPPEN!!! • Wars and deficit continue to squeeze the non-defense discretionary budget • Rise of China: major energy consumer, huge investments in infrastructure • Rise of India and China major competitors for talent and high-tech jobs • Stronger position of European Union • US recruitment of prospective graduate students and visa/immigration issues • STEM talent pool

19. R&D Investment, 1981-2008

20. Total R&D Share of GDP, 1993-2006

29. RPG = Research Project Grants

30. RPG = Research Project Grants

31. RPG = Research Project Grants

32. Not a New Topic…

33. …But Getting a New Look • On 1 July, NRC formally established a 22-person Committee on Research Universities • Driven by Senators Lamar Alexander and Barbara Mikulski (Members of Appropriations Committee and other key committees) and Representatives Ralph Hall (Chair of House S&T Committee) and Bart Gordon (former Chair) • Principal task is to answer the following question: • “What are the top ten actions that Congress, the federal government, state governments, research universities, and others could take to assure the ability of the American research university to maintain the excellence in research and doctoral education needed to help the United States compete, prosper, and achieve national goals for health, energy, the environment, and security in the global community of the 2 • Committee Chair: Chad Holliday, Chairman of the Board, Bank of America, retired chairman and CEO, E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company • Consensus report expected by end of CY 2011

34. Regulation and Compliance New Regulations for Research Since 1991

35. Some of the Community Input • All Federal agencies must use negotiated F&A rate unless prohibited by statute • Create mandatory cost sharing exemption for research institutions • Replace effort reporting with a more streamlined method • Allow direct charging of administrative and compliance activities • Reduce sub-recipient monitoring to a single annual audit • Harmonize Federal regulations regarding human subjects research

36. FY11 Interagency Presidential R&D Priorities • Sustainable economic growth and job creation • Defeating dangerous diseases • Clean energy future • Understanding, adapting to and mitigating impacts of global climate change • Managing demands on land, fresh water and oceans • Technologies to protect troops, citizens and national interests

37. At the NSF • New leadership • INSPIRE program (cross-disciplinary research) • Innovation Corps (I-CORPS) – brings industry, research and entrepreneurship together • Cyberinfrastructure for the 21st Century • Science and Engineering Education for Sustainability (SEES) • Possible changes to merit review criteria • Interest in better engaging the humanities and arts • Careful allocation of budget to maximize impact

38. Early Career Investigators and Transformative, High-Risk Research

39. OU Strategy: Helping Faculty Be Successful in Scholarship • Center for Research Program Development and Enrichment • Faculty Challenge Grant program -- $0.5 million in seed funding • Center for Applied Research and Development • Research Liaison Program • Strategic Initiative in Defense, Security and Intelligence (DSI) – Enlarging the pie in ALL disciplines

40. Don’t Forget About Humanities and Arts!! • History • Classics • Languages • Communication • Political Science • Religious Studies • Sociology • Philosophy • Theatre • Other…

41. Is There Hope (for My Proposal and Research Program)? • Competition for dollars will continue to grow (NSF now receives 55,000 proposals per year, up 10,000 from a few years ago) • Funding IS available – but proposal excellence is critical • Think about a broad portfolio of sources (e.g., DSI, foundations, industry) • Work in collaborative teams • Think broadly across disciplines as well as in your own – to tackle problems at the boundaries • Align your work with national priorities • Lobby the Hill for support to research agencies

42. Final Thoughts: Where is the Science Enterprise Headed? • Funding will be problematic because of HUGE budget pressures • Rise of China and India will continue but is really good for science overall and for the US IF we respond appropriately • Stovepipe struggles in academia and agencies • More agency partnerships with industry • Continued emphasis on practical outcomes and less inquiry-based research • Increasing integration of social, behavioral, economic sciences in traditional S&E fields

43. The Waters Will be Churning, but Opportunity Lies Ahead