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Nobel Prize winner Thomas R. Cech, 52, became president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Maryland last January 2000. The chemist and biomedical researcher will still run his famous biochemistry laboratory at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

An analysis of basic research programs and technological inventions shows a dissonance between the two processes. Finding similar objectives for both activities has been difficult. Moreover, links between basic research and technology have been accidental and asynchronous. A unifying vision and standard must be established to render technology as a result of scientific studies. The government must emphasize the improvement of the process in utilizing research findings for practical applications to obtain a return from its investment on research projects.

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health plans to pursue more high-risk biomedical research for higher potential gains. Its new director, biochemist Marvin Cassman, plans to optimize profits by attaining the appropriate balance between high-risk and low-risk ventures. The institute assigns most of its budget to individual-initiated research grants and Cassman thinks that the proper allocation of funding is essential for the continued viability of biomedical research.