Acknowledgements

The Forum on Science in the National Interest, held January 31-February 1, 1994 at the National Academy of Sciences, was a milestone in the shaping of this Administration's goals and strategies for basic science. We thank each of the participants, more than two hundred in number, who generously shared their thoughts with us through position papers, talks, panel discussions, and workshops. The richness of this input is rooted in the experience and diversity of the participants, who came to the Forum from academia, industry, laboratories, professional societies, and government. The flavor of their contributions is captured, at least partly, in the representative quotes sprinkled throughout this statement, all of which were drawn from the Forum participants' reports and presentations.

The Forum was held under the auspices of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, with the assistance of the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. Other Federal co-sponsors were the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Departments of Agriculture, Defense, and Energy. All of these agencies participate in the National Science and Technology Council Committee on Fundamental Science. In addition, the American Association for the Advancement of Science; the Association of American Universities; the Carnegie Commission on Science, Technology and Government; the Charles A. Dana Foundation; the Industrial Research Institute; the Institute of Medicine; the National Academy of Engineering; the National Academy of Sciences; and the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges were co-sponsors. The co-sponsors provided essential assistance from early Forum organization to post-Forum evaluation of participants' written contributions. This broad spectrum of co-sponsors brought a multiplicity of viewpoints to the Forum and thereby informed the Administration about many issues and perspectives on stewardship of fundamental science. We look forward to working with these many constituencies to advance science in the national interest.