IETF members may be interested in this opportunity to provide
input to a National Academies study on the state of
telecommunications R&D and possible responses.
The Computer Science and Telecommunications Board's
Committee on Telecommunications R&D, chaired by
Robert W. Lucky, is seeking comments on telecommunications
research in the United States, including how the
character of telecom research has changed, how
changes in telecom research might be measured/assessed,
implications of these changes for the telecom industry,
and possible mechanisms for strengthening U.S. telecom research.
For more information on the study and how to submit
comments, please see cstb.org/project_telecomrnd_solicitpapers.html
Questions that responders might address include:
* Is the U.S. marketplace adequately supporting
telecom research--and how would we know?
If not, what are the consequences of underinvestment
for the U.S. telecom industry and competitiveness
with nations that are making these investments?
What indicators should be used to measure research
(e.g., funding or research papers published)?
* Who should pay for long-term research aimed at
innovation 10 years out? To what extent are
telecommunications research results appropriable
and thus likely to be adequately supported by industry?
* What can we learn from the experiences of other
countries (e.g., EU framework or national programs)?
Do other countries fare better because of either
greater government support or because their research
programs are better organized? How effective have
they been historically, and how successful are they
likely to be in their present form?
* What can we learn from past experiences with
institutions in related fields (e.g., Sematech and MCC)?
How effective were these initiatives? How did different
research strategies affect the outcome? How can
government and industry best participate in these efforts?
* Could a greater university role in telecommunications
research be fostered? What sort of role might
universities play in a telecom research initiative?
Would enhanced university-industry ties strengthen
research or improve research training? Is there an
opportunity in the recent migration of researchers
to universities from industrial labs?
* What is the impact of the Internet and its applications
on the appropriate definition of telecommunications,
the needed research in telecommunications, the institutions
performing research, etc?
* How are changes in the industrial research environment
changing (or should change) the role of academic research?