Experiments in International Benchmarking of US Research Fields

How can the federal government gauge the overall health of scientific researchas a whole and in its partsand determine whether national funding adequately supports national research objectives? It is feasible to monitor US performance with field-by-field peer assessments. This might be done through the establishment of independent panels consisting of researchers who work in a field, individuals who work in closely related fields, and research "users" who follow the field closely. Some of these individuals should be outstanding foreign scientists in the field being examined. This technique of comparative international assessments is also known as international benchmarking. Experiments in International Benchmarking of U.S. Research Fields evaluates the feasibility and utility of the benchmarking technique. In order to do this, the report internationally benchmarks three fields: mathematics, immunology, and materials science and engineering, then summarizes the results of these experiments. Table of Contents Front Matter Executive Summary 1 Introduction 2 Methodology 3 Results of the Benchmarking Experiments 4 Findings 5 Discussion 6 Conclusion Appendix A: Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy: Member and Staff Biographical Information Appendix B: Excerpts from National Academies Reports Appendix C: Workshop on International Benchmarking of US Research Attachment I: International Benchmarking of US Mathematics Research Attachment II: International Benchmarking of US Materials Science and Engineering Research Attachment III: International Benchmarking of US Immunology Research