This project will review, evaluate, and analyze new and unprecedented sources of data on the education and utilization of the Soviet science and engineering workforce. Appropriate data on Soviet scientists and engineers (S/E's) will be compiled and comparisons will be made with similar data for the United States. Major changes are occurring in the Soviet science and technology infrastructure and data collection systems. This project will examine some of these changes and their implications for inter- preting overall S&E capabilities. There are also major changes occurring in the Soviet science and technology data collection systems. This project will help to evaluate, analyze, and interpret changes in the data availability, definitions, and data collection systems. This project is related to one of the eight areas targeted for cooperative research under the Memorandum of Understanding between NSF and the USSR Academy of Sciences. Science and engineering indicators is a high priority under the science policy area and information on the S&E workforce is a critical indicator of a country's S&E capability. This project would help NSF access and analyze the large amount of data now becoming available on S/E personnel, establish a baseline for such data, and identify critical information gaps. The project is also related to the NSF goal of expanding its international database of science and engineering indicators.
