Globalization of Materials R&D; Time for a National Strategy
Washington DC: The National Academies Press, 2005. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Trade paperback. xv, [1], 199, [1] pages. Decorative front cover. Footnotes. Figures. Tables. Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) R&D is spreading globally at an accelerating rate. As a result, the relative U.S. position in a number of MSE subfields is in a state of flux. To understand better this trend and its implications for the U.S. economy and national security, the Department of Defense (DOD) asked the NRC to assess the status and impacts of the global spread of MSE R&D. This report presents a discussion of drivers affecting U.S. companies'" decisions about location of MSE R&D, an analysis of impacts on the U.S. economy and national security, and recommendations to ensure continued U.S. access to critical MSE R&D. This report includes: Table of Contents; Front Matter; Executive Summary; 1 Materials as Global Activity: Setting the Scene; 2 Globalization of Materials Research & Development Activity; 3 Benchmarking of Materials Science and Engineering R&D; 4 The Regulatory Regime as a Driver; 5 Assessing the Impacts of Materials Science and Engineering R&D Globalization; 6 Conclusions and Recommendations; Appendix A Committee Biographies; Appendix B Presentations to the Committee at its Public Meetings; Appendix C Global Trends in MSE Patents; Appendix D Global Trends in Literature Authorship; Appendix E Results of Community Poll; Appendix F Superalloy Case Study; Appendix G Environmental and Safety and Health Regulations; and Appendix H Defining 21st Century Defense Needs. Among the Reviews was Siegfried Hecker of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) R&D is spreading globally at an accelerating rate. As a result, the relative U.S. position in a number of MSE subfields is in a state of flux. To understand better this trend and its implications for the U.S. economy and national security, the Department of Defense (DOD) asked the NRC to assess the status and impacts of the global spread of MSE R&D. This report presents a discussion of drivers affecting U.S. companies' decisions about location of MSE R&D, an analysis of impacts on the U.S. economy and national security, and recommendations to ensure continued U.S. access to critical MSE R&D. When it released this report the National Academies Press issued, in part, the following statement: While the United States remains a world leader in materials research and development, competition from new materials R&D centers worldwide could weaken the nation's position in this field, says a new report from the National Academies' National Research Council. The federal government should define a national strategy to ensure that future national security needs in materials R&D can be addressed; that universities and federal agencies -- including the U.S. Department of Defense, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, and NASA -- participate in international materials R&D collaborations; and that more American students are encouraged to pursue careers in science and engineering... Available evidence suggests that the globalization of materials R&D has had a limited effect on the U.S. economy and national security to date, but the impact in the near future is highly uncertain, the report says. The federal government needs to gather data on trends in materials R&D worldwide in order to assess how well the United States is performing compared with other countries and to determine how to ensure that the nation's economic and security needs are met. The United States can no longer assume that the most important innovations in materials science and engineering will take place domestically. To have access to superior technologies developed elsewhere, the United States needs to become one of the most active players in international materials R&D teams and ensure that knowledge generated by foreign R&D is absorbed into domestic programs, both civilian and military, the report says. Policy-makers need to ensure that current controls on exports do not impede U.S. participation in international projects, the committee said. ... Maintaining U.S. leadership in materials R&D also will require that the nation's educational system attract more students to degrees in science and engineering, the committee said...If the United States is to continue to compete on the global stage, its educational system will have to consider the needs of federal agencies and industry and ensure an adequate supply of professionals in materials science and engineering, the committee said. The study was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense. Condition: Very good.
Keywords: Materials Research and Development, R&D, National Strategy, Benchmarking, Superalloy, Case Study, Materials Science, Materials Engineering, Patents, Environmental Regulations, Safety Regulations, Defense Needs
ISBN: 0309096030
[Book #84102]
Price: $75.00