An ad hoc committee will author a consensus report with findings and recommendations that answers the question: “What are the top ten actions that Congress, the federal government, state governments, research universities, and others could take to assure the ability of the American research university to maintain the excellence in research and doctoral education needed to help the United States compete, prosper, and achieve national goals for health, energy, the environment, and security in the global community of the 21st century?”

The study committee will, in carrying out its work, focus on:

· Research and doctoral programs carried out by research universities and associated medical centers;

· Basic and applied research in research universities, along with collaborative research programs with other components of the research enterprise (e.g., national and federal laboratories, federally-funded research and development centers, and corporate research laboratories);

· Doctoral education and, to the extent necessary, the pathways to graduate education and research careers; and

· Fields of study and research that are critical to helping the United States compete, prosper, and achieve national goals for health, energy, the environment, and security, with a focus on science, engineering, and medicine.

In carrying out this charge, the study committee will, in addition to other tasks it identifies:

· describe and assess the historical development, current status, trends, and societal impact of research universities and the “ecosystem” of this set of institutions in the United States, placing these institutions in the context of the nation's research, innovation, and industrial enterprises and the nation's system of higher education;

· assess the organizational, financial, and intellectual capacity of public and private research universities in the United States, including reference to research universities internationally to the extent possible with existing data; and

· envision the mission and organization of these diverse institutions 10-20 years into the future and the steps needed to get there.