Planning Water Resources Research Programs

Development of a plan for a water research program is no simple task. The manager must resolve a number of problems which, although not unique, are complicated because of the nature of the scientific enterprise. Among the problems are the balance between basic and applied research, criteria for project selection, difficulties of crash programs, staffing, establishing priorities, and control of duplication of efforts. An effective program must plan not only for the actual research effort, but must include consideration for dissemination and implementation of the results. This means that practitioners must be included in the continuing planning effort. Furthermore, the interaction between practitioners and scientists will assist in insuring that the results will be in a form that will be useable. The researchers should then be used by the funding organization to be sure that the results are understood and properly implemented.