As VP for R&D, Robb controls 10% of GE's $1.2 billion R&D budget - the amount devoted to basic research - and directs the 2,000 employees that do research for the entire company. And in his short tenure, Robb has already been forced to come to grips with a key issue facing GE, other corporations, and the nation itself - how to strike the best balance between basic and applied research. In this interview with The Scientist Susan L-J Dickinson, Robb offers lessons from his GE experience, as well as his views on a number of other important science policy issues.
Q In the last few years, research budgets at U.S. companies have declined. Are you worried that this will allow other countries to take over the lead in science and technology?
A I am concerned about the decline in the research effort in this country. In the past, we ...
