Evaluative study of the scientists and engineers in economic development program : survey report

Special evaluation covers the period 1972-79 and is based on a survey of SEED participants and a control group of scientists from other international NSF programs. In line with the reasons which led them to participate in the project, SEED scientists were successful in improving foreign research capabilities and strengthening relationships between foreign and U.S. research institutions. While scientists in the control group spent most of their time collecting data for their own research and writing research papers, SEED scientists were primarily engaged in teaching or lecturing, developing better curricula for scientific institutions, and performing collaborative research both to improve foreign research capabilities and to link these improvements to social and economic goals. Both groups of scientists agreed on the usefulness of NSF's international ventures and recommended the expansion of such activities.