Engineering Research Centers:
NSF Program Management and Industry Sponsorship
RCED-88-177: Published: Aug 16, 1988. Publicly Released: Aug 16, 1988.
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Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Engineering Research Center (ERC) Program, focusing on: (1) NSF program operation and evaluation; and (2) industry sponsors' reaction to the program.
GAO found that: (1) research quality was the most important criterion in awarding center grants, with contribution to industrial competitiveness and education following in importance; (2) NSF formally monitored ERC management and research agenda through yearly on-site reviews and ERC-prepared strategic plans; (3) NSF used outside peer reviews to evaluate individual centers once every 3 years, but believed it was too early to evaluate the overall strengths and weaknesses of the ERC approach; (4) a wide range of industries participated in the program, and most intended to continue their support; (5) participants believed that the type and quality of research was the most important reason for sponsoring centers; (6) participants expected to benefit over time through better personnel recruiting and improvement of current personnel, but not through patentable or commercialized products; (7) it was too early to determine the program's impact on engineering education because it had been in place for only a short period of time, and industry sponsors have not hired many ERC program graduates; and (8) participants believed that NSF should increase participants' influence on the ERC research agenda.
Jun 29, 2017
Defense Science and Technology:
Adopting Best Practices Can Improve Innovation Investments and ManagementGAO-17-499: Published: Jun 29, 2017. Publicly Released: Jun 29, 2017.
May 24, 2017
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National Science Foundation:
Preliminary Observations on Indirect Costs for ResearchGAO-17-576T: Published: May 24, 2017. Publicly Released: May 24, 2017.
Apr 27, 2017
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U.S. Manufacturing:
Federal Programs Reported Providing Support and Addressing TrendsGAO-17-240: Published: Mar 28, 2017. Publicly Released: Apr 27, 2017.
Jul 20, 2016
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Intellectual Property:
Patent Office Should Define Quality, Reassess Incentives, and Improve ClarityGAO-16-490: Published: Jun 30, 2016. Publicly Released: Jul 20, 2016. -
Intellectual Property:
Patent Office Should Strengthen Search Capabilities and Better Monitor Examiners' WorkGAO-16-479: Published: Jun 30, 2016. Publicly Released: Jul 20, 2016. -
Intellectual Property:
Survey of U.S. Patent Examiners (GAO-16-478SP, June 2016), an E-supplement to GAO-16-479 and GAO-16-490GAO-16-478SP: Published: Jun 30, 2016. Publicly Released: Jul 20, 2016.
Apr 8, 2016
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Federal Research:
Information on DOE's Laboratory-Directed Research and Development ProgramGAO-16-486R: Published: Apr 8, 2016. Publicly Released: Apr 8, 2016.
Jan 20, 2016
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Federal Research Opportunities:
DOE, DOD, and HHS Need Better Guidance for Participant ActivitiesGAO-16-128: Published: Jan 20, 2016. Publicly Released: Jan 20, 2016.
Sep 9, 2015
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GPS:
Actions Needed to Address Ground System Development Problems and User Equipment Production ReadinessGAO-15-657: Published: Sep 9, 2015. Publicly Released: Sep 9, 2015.
Jul 30, 2015
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Facial Recognition Technology:
Commercial Uses, Privacy Issues, and Applicable Federal LawGAO-15-621: Published: Jul 30, 2015. Publicly Released: Jul 30, 2015.
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