Shaping national science policy: some lessons learned

Thirty-five years of experience have taught several lessons about shaping science policy. Derived from these lessons are four premises that deserve individual and collective thought: (1) The partnership in U.S. society between health and science interests is fundamentally important; (2) Scientific merit must be the paramount basis for allocating whatever research funds are available; (3) Better data and their careful analysis are vital to the decision-making processes; and (4) More than ever we must have a clear, concise, vigorous, and repeated enunciation of the principles that are essential for a national biomedical research program to flourish. The fourth premise is expressed succinctly in the 11 principles outlined in the 1983 AAMC monograph "Preserving America's Preeminence in Medical Research," which places important responsibilities for the collective success of the U.S. research program on all of the various components of society. Three important factors favor efforts to shape a useful, successful science policy: a public that places improvements in health high on every priority list, a rapidly expanding body of invaluable knowledge, and a sizable investment of tax-derived funds, now totalling over $7.5 billion per year.