Evaluation of the National Science Foundation's Science and Technology Centers Program

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This 12 month program evaluation will assess the effectiveness and impact of the Science and Technology Centers (STC) Program. The National Science Foundation created the Science and Technology Centers Program in 1987, and initiated funding for eleven Centers in 1989 and an additional fourteen Centers in 1990. This is the first program-level evaluation conducted in the STC Program. The STC Program evaluation will gather performance data that indicates the degrees to which and the ways in which the STC Program is meeting its goals. Program goals are: ambitious research that requires the longer duration and higher support levels of center-based research; transferring knowledge and technology from the academic setting to other sectors of society such as industry and government laboratories; and preparing graduates at many levels for research and other careers in a technological society. Abt Associates, an independent evaluation contractor, will construct a detailed history of the program, design performance indicators associated with the three program goals, compile and analyze existing performance data, collect and analyze additional data, and synthesize this information in the form of a program profile. These findings will be submitted to an expert panel for interpretation. Technical and summary final reports will be produced and disseminated to appropriate audiences. The results of this evaluation will provide NSF with information useful to the effective management of and future plans for the STC Program and will also assist the STC Directors as they seek to improve the operations of their respective Centers. The evaluation will provide information on the impact of the STC Program to NSF's senior management; the National Science Board; members of the Administration and Congress; the research community; and interested parties in the industrial sector and the science and technology education enterprise. The STC program evaluation is one of four pilot projects being conducted by NSF in response to passage of the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993. The experience gained during this program evaluation will help NSF prepare for full agency-wide implementation of the Act.