tions, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.

Gerry Dineen has overseen the Academies review process for this report. Appointed by the National Research Council, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. This multi-year study has produced 11 volumes, many of which have benefited from Gerry Dinneen’s guidance and good counsel. The STEP Board and Project Committee recognizes and are grateful for his contribution.

Following the Executive Summary listing core findings and recommendations, this volume summarizes the analysis of the Committee in eight sections. This Preface has set out the role of the Committee and the parameters of its work. The Introduction in Part I describes public-private partnerships, the motivation for partnerships, and the varieties of partnerships, and then identifies some core conditions contributing to successful partnerships. Part II contains the Committee’s findings and recommendations. Following Part III’s overview of the broader environment for innovation, Part IV looks more specifically at U.S. innovation policy, in both retrospect and prospect. It identifies some of the central challenges facing U.S. policy makers in this area. Part V provides an overview of the Committee’s review of selected U.S. public-private partnerships. These include a synopsis of the Committee’s analysis of the SEMATECH consortium, a summary of the assessments of the Small Business Innovation Research and ATP programs, as well as a précis of the scope and potential of science and technology parks associated with the Ames and Sandia national laboratories. Part VI takes up the issues of accountability and assessment, which the Committee identifies as key factors contributing to successful partnerships. In today’s interconnected world, partnerships have to be assessed in a global context; Part VII provides this important perspective. Finally, Part VIII sets out the Committee’s conclusions; suggests further directions for analysis; and outlines considerations for policy makers seeking to foster innovation through public-private partnerships.

Gordon Moore Bill Spencer Charles Wessner