There has been an increase in the percentage of Federally supported academic S& E Ph.D.s who report that they receive support from more than one Federal agency between 1979/81 and 1989/91. (See figure 5-12.) In 1979/81, about 80 percent of academic S& E Ph.D.s with Federal support reported receiving support from only one Federal agency, while about 20 percent reported support from more than one agency. By 1989/91, the percentage receiving support from more than one agency had increased to 29 percent. All S& E fields reported an increase in the percent of Federally supported academic Ph.D.s being supported by more than one agency, with the largest increase occurring in computer sciences (from 21 to 42 percent). The extent of reliance on single or multiple agency support varied considerably by S& E field both in the earlier and later periods.

In 1989/91, Federally supported academic Ph.D. environmental scientists report the lowest percentage (47) of reliance on a single support agency. Mathematical scientists, life scientists, social scientists, and psychologists report the highest percentage (75 to 80) of reliance on one agency. The remaining fields--physical sciences, computer sciences, and engineering--fall somewhere in between these percentages.

These findings indicate that the increase in Federal R& D obligations to universities and colleges during the 1980s had a number of effects including increasing both the absolute number and the relative percentage of academic S& E Ph.D.s receiving Federal support and the absolute number and realtive percentage of those receiving support from more than one agency.

Footnote 34

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