This is the executive summary for "The Role of Science and Technology in Economic Competitiveness," (1987) based on a national survey on competitiveness. The study focused on three primary topics: the adequacy of human resources and its relationship to human ability to compete; investment in resarch and development; and technology transfer, i.e., the ability to transform research findings into new products and processes. The study participants identified a number of areas for improvement. These include science and mathematics education, university/industry cooperative ventures, and greater commercialization of research findings. The study also revealed, however, that much of the change that must occur is long-term in nature. (YP)