1. Substance
Can we anticipate what some of the major recommendations from the study might be?
To what extent might there be "new" recommendations? To what extent will the value be to refresh and promote existing, even long-standing recommendations?

2. Outcomes
What are possible outcomes from the exploratory phase culminating 7-8 November?

• Do nothing
• Small focused project or study
• Large project or study (centralized or decentralized)

3. Organization
How might a new project or study be organized? Given possible substantive recommendations and goals, what processes are most likely to achieve them? What mix of committee activities, conferences, analytic studies, outreach & dissemination, etc. might be the best means to the possible ends? What kind of entity (or entities) might be the most effective basic platform from which to work?

• Completely free-standing entity, raising funds wherever it can
• Entity closely associated with a single or lead funder (as CCSTG)
• Entity under auspices of a think-tank or similar group
• Entity under auspices of a university (or maybe 2-3)

4. Follow-up and continuity
Should this be initiated as another "one-shot" effort? Should it be initiated with the idea of continuity and long-term institutionalization in academia (broadly speaking) per Science & Government or its subsets such as Science & the Presidency? One of the outcomes of the CCSTG might have been new or strengthened university-based centers on Science & Government, but in practice this did not happen. To what extent was the lack of impact of some CCSTG recommendations the lack of continuity or persistence in implementation?

5. Schedule
Should a major goal be to impact the November 2004 election? If yes, what would need to be accomplished when? What can realistically be accomplished within 24 months? If the 2004 election is not an important consideration, are there other time-sensitive opportunities?

6. Membership
What should be the main criteria to help identify possible project participants?

• Distinguished public service:
  • Congress
  • White House
  • Executive branch agencies
  • State government
  • Judiciary
  • International
• Industrial leaders
• Non-profit sector leaders (universities, NGOs, think-tanks)
• Accomplishment in science & engineering
• Media/communications
• Gender & ethnicity
• Political balance (bipartisan)
• Age (balance those with wisdom of service & those who might in future serve)

6. Funding
How much might various approaches cost? (CCSTG cost $2.5m/yr circa 1990)

• Where to find first 100k to get started?
• Where to find $0.5-3.0 m or more for main job?