ABSTRACT
The Science Advisor draws upon many sources, inside and outside government, to access the national knowledge base of science and technology. Of all the advisory mechanisms in place, the National Research Council is the least politicized and the most effective in providing scientific and technological advice to the government. This chapter argues that it is necessary to have the most sophisticated and objective mechanisms for providing scientific advice to the government in a research and development environment that has become increasingly more complex, competitive and contentious. It seeks some examination of the nature of the advice. The chapter then explains how it is provided, and how it is used by the President, the Congress and governmental agencies may reveal the kind of advice that is required if Americans are to retain their positions at or near the top of those nations with a developed capability in science and technology.
