January 5, 2001
Clinton Finalizes
Principles to Guide
Federal-Academic Research Partnership
President Clinton Dec. 29 announced the signing of an executive order providing guiding and operating principles to govern the federal-academic research partnership. The executive order mandates that government departments and agencies that support research at academic institutions regularly review their existing policies and procedures to ensure that they meet the spirit and intent of the principles.
President Clinton's action is the culmination of a review of the partnership that was ordered by the White House on Sept. 26, 1996. A draft set of principles was suggested by a National Science and Technology Council report issued on April 27, 1999, in response to the Presidential Review Directive. The principles have been revised after extensive input from both the university community, including the AAMC, and federal agencies. The guiding principles contained in the executive order include:
- Research is an investment in the future;
- The integration of research and education is vital;
- Excellence is promoted when investments are guided by merit review; and
- Research must be conducted with integrity.
The operating principles include:
- Agency cost-sharing policies and practices must be transparent;
- Partners should respect the merit review process;
- Agencies and universities should manage research in a cost-efficient manner;
- Accountability and accounting are not the same;
- The benefits of simplicity in policies and practices should be weighed against the costs; and
- Change should be justified by need and the process made transparent.
Information: Tony Mazzaschi, AAMC Division of Biomedical and Health Sciences Research, 202-828-0059.
