Technical Assistance to Assess Communication and Use of Unclassified Scientific and Technical Information Subject to National Security Controls

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This planning project examines the potential for systematic research on the impacts of national security controls on the conduct of research and the dissemination of unclassified scientific and technical information. The objectives of the proposed assessment are (1) to determine the extent to which scientists and engineers understand the restrictions; (2) to assess how scientists and engineers attempt to balance the values of openness with protection of the national interest; and (3) to document the impact of such restrictions on research and the dissemination of scientific and technical information. In this planning phase, a team of consultants with expertise about the substantive issues, the methodological aspects of the proposed assessment, and the perspectives of concerned constituencies, will assist the project staff in addressing the conceptual and technical difficulties associated with undertaking such an assessment. Project staff will circulate a preliminary discussion paper to the team, whose members will meet to define and refine the research questions and design. Staff will then circulate a draft of the agreed-on research instruments and plans for data analysis to team members and two independent consultants for further refinement. Following this work, AAAS will submit a final report, including the key research questions, instruments, and plans for analysis to NSF. The report will also address uses which the assessment could serve. Issues of openness and secrecy in the communication of scientific and technical information are central both to scientific progress and human well-being. Little systematic research has been done to them. The project sponsor, staff and planning group members are very well qualified to begin these efforts. This project should provide useful results by itself and stimulate future efforts in this field. For these reasons, support in the amount of $10,000 is recommended.