International Cooperation in Research and Development

Developments in science and technology are increasingly the result of international collaboration. Many indicators show increasing links among world scientists to conduct joint research, share data, conduct international meetings, develop common standards, and transfer technology. Voices within the United States, however, are calling for a more rational governance of U.S. science and technology policy that directly serves national goals. To help understand the scope and nature of U.S. investment in international scientific cooperation and the relationship between that investment and recent global trends, this report describes and characterizes U.S. government spending on international cooperative research and development (ICRD). Drawing from fiscal year 1997, the report updates an earlier RAND report and begins to lay groundwork for an analysis of recent trends in ICRD and an assessment of the U.S. benefit from investment in scientific research.