There has BeeN increasing con- cern about the availability of support for basic research in computer science. 2 Al- though there are always factors such as budget priorities and federal funds availability, based on my experience as a program manager at the U.S. Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency (DARPA) I believe there is an additional factor that is often missed. Neal Lanea has spoken and written on related issues for science and technology in general; here, I focus on computer science.
The issue is the strength of the computer science representation “at the table” when priorities are decided and resource allocations are determined. The only way to change the resources allocated to computer science as a discipline is to ensure the best new ideas are represented passionately, effectively, and repeatedly. This means going beyond the advocacy role of representative organizations such as the Computing Research Association and voluntarily becoming public servants: to become agents for change.
Program management reduces risk, increases reward.
Risk vs. Reward
high Reward
effectofProgram management
Risk/Reward curve
Low Reward
Low Risk
high Risk
Federal agencies such as DARPA and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) are constantly looking for new ideas and people to make them hap-
a See http://www.nsf.gov/news/speeches/lane/ nl91096.htm
pen. Making ideas happen is the role of public servants such as DARPA program managers and NSF program directors, and these ideas are often far beyond what the risk/reward threshold of the private sector can support.
The figure here depicts a conceptual model of the effect that good program management can have on research risk and reward. The line labeled “Risk/Reward Curve” is meant to suggest there is a natural relationship between risk and reward, where low risk leads to low rewards and high risk is required to achieve the highest rewards. It is the goal of program
management to create an environment in which the most rewarding research is pursued with the least risk. The rewards are typically clear in the program manager’s vision, so it is risk that must be managed most aggressively.
Risks to manage include problem difficulty, researchers, time, and money. To manage problem difficulty, intermediate goals can be targeted, or multiple competitive approaches can be supported to reduce risk through a process akin to “portfolio management.” Researchers must be encouraged to be bold, but at the same time
References:
Archives