Inviting trends

A RECENT report could throw open the
portals of the us research and development (R&D) industry to let in foreign
talents. A committee of the National
Academy of Engineering has recommended that the government should
avoid limiting foreign access to the
nation's R&D efforts except when such
participation poses a clear threat to
national security. The committee said in
its report that there was insufficient evidence to confirm the concern over possible negative effects of foreign participation in US R&D. Acknowledging the
benefits of direct foreign investment, the
report revealed that in 1992 alone, the us
affiliates of foreign-owned firms spent
us $13.7 billion on R&D and provided
104,500 research jobs. On the other hand,
the foreign firms gain better access to us
scientific and technical expertise.