R&D Expenditures Survey

Survey Materials

FY 1994 FYI Flyer

THIS IS A SURVEY IN THE ACADEMIC SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING SURVEY SYSTEM OF THE DIVISION OF SCIENCE RESOURCES STUDIES.

What is the Division of Science Resources Studies?

The Division of Science Resources Studies (SRS), part of the National Science Foundations' Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Science, gathers and analyzes data on science and engineering (S&E) resources in each sector of the economy and at the national and international levels. Decisions by Federal and State agencies, industry, and academic officials on the allocation of resources are often based on data collected by SRS.

Congress has directed NSF to provide "a central clearinghouse for the collection, interpretation, and analysis of data on scientific and engineering resources and to provide a source of information for policy formulation by other agencies of the Federal Government." In response, SRS conducts annual surveys of the nation's universities and colleges focusing on graduate S&E enrollment, research and development (R&D) expenditures, and Federal agencies' support of academic S&E and other activities. Three surveys currently collect data on universities and colleges in compatible formats:

In addition to the three surveys conducted under the general congressional mandate, SRS also conducts two surveys in response to specific congressional directives on the status of academic research instrumentation and the conditionof academic research facilities.

These data are not collected anywhere else.

Why are these data collected?

The data that universities and colleges provide to SRS contribute to decisions affecting higher education. Congress, the Executive Branch, and education associations use institutional and summary data. Each participating institutionreceives its own "profile," showing trend data based on its responses to all ofthe academic S&E surveys. On request, NSF also sends profiles of peer institutions, making it possible to compare similar institutions for planning and recruiting. Detailed data are made available to institutional, Federal, State, and other policy analysts in statistical tables and are also availablein various electronic formats, such as the Documents Online System and the Computer-Aided Science Policy Analysis and Research (CASPAR) database available on CD-ROM.

Data from these surveys also appear in the following NSF publications:

Why should your institution respond to these surveys?

By providing accurate data, you can ensure your institution's representation indata used by Federal and State decisionmakers. You will also find the data useful for comparing your institution with others in your State or region.Also, since industrial firms use SRS data in preparing for employment recruiting visits to universities and colleges, your participation in the survey provides employment opportunities for your graduates.

In summary, the surveys produce a unique information base for decisions at all levels. We appreciate your participation.

[ Cover Letter| FYI Flyer| Questions and Answers| Acknowledgement Postcard | Optional Item ]

[START] [NSF_HOME] [HELP]