Rapid advances in new instrumentation technologies will play a crucial role in driving scientific progress in the period up to the next century. But the costs of equipping laboratories with the leading-edge instrumentation have risen dramatically. A key question facing policymakers in the 1990s and beyond concerns how best to meet the demands of the scientific community and investment in modern equipment and facilities.This major book presents not only a unique vision of the likely requirements for investment in research equipment during the coming decade but also valuable information on needs and priorities in a broad spectrum of disciplines ranging from the physical and biological sciences to newly-instrumenting humanities fields such as archaeology. Particular attention is given to considering how these needs might be met cost-effectively by better planning and management of scientific resources - for example, increased sharing of costly equipment by researchers from different disciplines or institutions.

Equipping Science for the 21st Century will be essential reading for research scientists, government officials, funding agencies, professional scientific associations and others concerned with the future direction of science.