analytical chemistry June 1974, Vol. 46, No. 7 Editor: H E R B E R T A. LAITINEN EDITORIAL HEADQUARTERS 1155 Sixteenth St.,N.W. Waahington D.C. 20036 Phone: 202k72-4600 Teletype: 710-8220151 Managing Editor: Virginia E. Stewart Associate Editor: Josephine M. Petruzzi Assistant Editor: Andrew A. Husovsky Editorial Assistant: Linda A. Ferragut GRAPHICS A N D PRODUCTION STAFF Manager: Leroy L. Corcoran Associate Manager: Charlotte C. Sayre Art Director: Norman W. Favin Artist: Linda McKnight Editorial Assistant:
Nancy J. Oddenino
EDIT~RIAL PROCESSING DEPARTMENT, EASTON,PA. Assistant Editor: Elizabeth R. Rufe ADVISORY BOARD: Allen J.
Bard, Fred Baumann, David F. Boltz, E. G. Brame, Jr.. Warren B. Crumrnett. M. A. Evenson. Henry M. Fales A. F. Findels Kenneth W. Gardmer. J&k M. Gill, Jeanette G. Grasselli R. S. Juvet, Jr., Theodore Kuwane: Oscar Menis, Harold F. Walton
INSTRUMENTATIONADVISORY PANEL: Jonathan W. Amy, Stanley R. Crouch, Richard A. Durst. J. J. Kirkland. Ronald ..~ H. Laessig, Mar& Margoshes, Harold M. McNair, David Seligson, Howard J. Sloane ~~~~
~~
~
C o n t r i b u t i n g Editor: Claude A. Lucchesi Department of Chemistry, Sorthwestern Unirersity, Evanston. Ill. 6'0201 Published by the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY 1155 16th Street, N. W. Washington, D.C. 20036
Books a n d J o u r n a l s Division John K Crum Director Ruth Reynard Assistant t o t h e Director Charles R. Bertsch Head, Editorial Processing D e p a r t m e n t D. H. Michael Bowen Head, J o u r n a l s Department Bacil Guile Head, G r a p h i c s a n d Productron Department Seldon W. Terrant Head, Research a n d Development D e p a r t m e n t
Advertising Management CENTCOM, LTD. (for Branch Offices, see page 673 A)
For submission of manuscripts, see page 580 A
Industry-Sponsored University Research While there are great potential benefits to be derived from cooperative research programs between industry and universities, such projects have been quite limited in scope because of inherent problems related to the diverse goals of the participants. It might be helpful to examine the situation from the separate viewpoints of the three types of individuals involved in such a program. From the viewpoint of the university professor, additional research support is obviously welcome, provided that it permits sufficient latitude of subjects to be appropriate for academic research, and provided that no restrictions to publication exist. The principal business of a university is education, and research is the principal means by which predoctoral and postdoctoral education is pursued. Short-term problems and problems addressed too specifically to industrial goals, tend to be unsuitable for academic research. From the viewpoint of industry, certain long-range research problems might profitably be explored in an academic setting for feasibility before investing in special equipment or personnel. For such problems, industry can adjust to the relatively slow pace of the academic scene. However, the usual condition that the patent rights to any inventions will reside with the university, with a royalty-free license to the sponsoring company, often provides insufficient incentive to industry. A preferable arrangement to the sponsor would be to grant the first rights to an exclusive license for a limited period. say three years, during which the sponsoring company could develop subsidiary patents. In the long run, such an arrangement might prove advantageous also to the university. Finally, it is all-important to consider the welfare of the student. Sponsored research must be sufficiently fundamental to be appropriate for the M.S. or Ph.D. thesis. The postdoctoral associate is not concerned with thesis requirements, but in his role as a temporary scientific intern. he must be in a position to broaden and deepen his scientific experience and t o gain a measure of independence. An exposure to selected problems of interest to industry can better prepare the research student for his role as a research scientist. After all, the vast majority of students will ultimately work in industrial or government laboratories. Not all faculty members, students, or industries could or should find cooperative research suitable. but with careful selection of participants and research problems, an appreciable enlargement of the present industry-academic cooperation can be envisioned, with benefits to all parties concerned.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, VOL. 46, NO. 7 , JUNE 1974
809
