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    Attention: financial editors
    (c) 1980 The Baltimore Sun (Field News Service)
     WASHINGTON-College campuses, long considered adversaries of the
private sector, may play an important role in the federal
government's drive to help U.S. industry back to its feet.
    Several federal programs now under way or in the planning stages
would provide a setting for the direct involvement of both
universities and industries on cooperative research projects.
     Since World War II, college campuses have become dependent on
federal agencies like the National Institutes of Health, the National
Science Foundation and the Department of Defense for research support.
     However, as federal dollars shrink and industries face a shortage
of capital for adequate research and development, the concept of
linking university and industry efforts has gained appeal,
particularly in Congress.
     ''We have to counter views that consider applied and developmental
research with profit motives solely an area for industrial study and
inappropriate to a university setting,'' said Rep. George E. Brown,
(D-Calif.), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Science, Research
and Technology. ''We need to recognize that the applied researcher is
important to society as is the basic scientist.''
     Federal investments primarily have supported basic research on
campuses. For example, the science foundation, a top federal
contributor to university research, spends less than 10 percent of
its $1 billion budget on applied research.
     But several programs sponsored by the science foundation are
bringing more applied research onto campuses that will be supported
largely by industries.
    These programs include: -University-industry cooperative centers
based on college campuses in which a consortium of industries support
research in one technological field. The science foundtion has
established 10 such centers, and Congress is expected to allocate an
additional $20 million in fiscal year 1981 for the program. Although
the science foundation provides the initial funding, the
participating firms are expected to pick up the full tab eventually.
-Individual cooperative research projects that are proposed by a
university researcher and involve scientists from a private firm.
Close to 60 universities now are involved in the program.
Participating companies include du Pont, IBM, Monsanto, Bell
Laboratories and Ford. -Innovation centers based on campuses that
focus on the research needs of small and new businesses and on
training students to become technology-oriented entrepreneurs. Seven
of these centers are in operation.
     In addition, the Senate unanimously passed, and the house is
expected to approve, the technology innovation bill, which for the
first time would set up cooperative research centers between
industries that would be sponsored by the Department of Commerce. The
bill allocates $5.2 million to help industries set up the centers,
which would be based on university campuses or other nonprofit
research institutions.
     Under the bill, an Office of Industrial Technology would be
established in the Commerce Department to oversee the centers.
     The technology bill also includes a legislative mandate for the
establishment of future NSF-sponsored, university-industry
cooperative research centers.
     The model for the foundtion-sponsored centers has been the
Laboratory for Manufacturing and Productivity at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. The $2 million-a-year lab, created in 1977
with a science foundation grant, is now 60 percent supported by
participating industries.
     Research at the lab is performed by 27 faculty members and about 70
graduate students, who work on projects such as developing longer
lasting metal cutting tools and new processes for casting metals.
     Although the 25 participating industries, which act as a board of
directors, suggest projects, MIT has the final say over the direction
of the lab's research. Patents on new inventions and processes belong
to the lab.
     Backers of this legislation and similar programs say that the
United States is losing its competitive edge in the world technology
market because of the country's uncoordinated approach to research
and development.
     ''Simply attaining excellence in research does not mean the results
will be useful to anyone,'' said Thomas R. Kramer, staff member of
the science, research and technology subcommitee. ''We need to
develop research institutions focused on industry in a way the U.S.
has failed to do.''
     Both Japan and West Germany, which are taking over many markets
traditionally dominated by the United States, stress applied research
in universities and maintain channels through which research results
benefit industry.
     MORE
    
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    BALTIMORE SUN xxx BENEFIT INDUSTRY
     ''In the universities in Japan the best students are guided towards
problems of design and production,'' said Myron Tribus, director of
MIT's Center of Advanced Engineering Study. Here, he said, the
brightest students are directed into academic research.
     In addition to increasing the number and quality of technological
innovations, industrialists are hoping the NSF programs will provide
a training ground for graduate students to learn applicable
technological and business skills, rather than theoretical concepts.
     NSF officials and legislators claim the growth of joint
university-industry programs will not affect the basic research
component of university support.
     ''The technology innovation bill is intended to build the applied
research program without cutting back on basic research,'' said Jack
Sanderson, the science foundation's assistant director for applied
science and research applications.
     ''It's clear that support of basic research will remain the main
mission of NSF.''
     However, many scientists are uneasy about using university research
for industry's needs.
     ''The major function of a university should be education and basic
research,'' said Columbia Professor Seymour Melman. ''The consequence
of going into applied research activities (for industry) corrupts
both the basic research function and the stock of knowledge.''
     Jeremy Stone, president of the Federation of American Scientists,
also sounds a warning. Stone says academics should be cautious not to
permit industry to become a ''taskmaster,'' directing research on a
scale that the federal government is now able to do through massive
financing of specific research areas.
     ENDIT BALTIMORE SUN
    
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