January 11, 2008

Panel Faults Restrictions on Sensitive Research

By PAUL BASKEN

After more than a year of study, a commission appointed by the U.S. Commerce Department has found widespread fault with the restrictions the government imposes on university research laboratories in the name of protecting military secrets.

The Deemed Export Advisory Committee, whose 11 members include leaders from several research universities, said in its report that many U.S.-government efforts to prevent high-technology secrets from falling into enemy hands are misguided, wasteful,