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THE ROCKEFELLERUNIVERS1TY "1230 YOP, K AVENUE - NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10021 TIf E PR /.SIDENT May i, 1978 Mr. H. C. Roemer Vice President and General Counsel R. J. Reynolds Industries, Inc. Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27102 Dear Jack: Since our last conversation two weeks ago, I have continued discussions with Dr. McCarty here in New York and have also spent a half day with Dr.~ames Shannon in Washington, following a telephone conversation. ~As you will recall Shannon, who spent five years here after leaving the directorship of the National Institutes of Health, was responsible for many of the best aspects of tahe federal program at NIH during %he 20 years he spent in the organization. Both McCarty and Shannon are willing to be members of an Advisory Committee forthe Foundation. Shannon does not want to commit himself beyond a year but I am inclined to think that his enthusiasm will keep him in- volved longer if matters go well. In the meantime, the three of us will review candidates to provide one or two possible additions to the advisory group. Regarding matters of policy, which you and Mr. ~tokes will want to review carefully with your colleagues, we would propose the following general principles for discus- sion: i. The research grants should, in the main, be fo- cused on research which is most likely to give us funda- .mental understanding of the factors which determine cellu- lar dysfunction -- particular malfunctions which can be linked to degenerative diseases. Since the core of much U~ 0 4~ 0 0

Mr. H. C. Roemer May i, 1978 - 2 - of the best biomedical research has this goal in one way or another at present, we would seek to support individual investigators or teams of investigators whose work seems to be most promising and productive and who would benefit substantially from access to ad- ditional resources provided over a period of time. Highly promising young investigators who are under- funded at present should not be excluded. 2. We believe that the median level of peak sup- port for such an individual or team should be in the range of $50.0,000 per year in a typical case and should be considered to'extend for a period of about six years with annual review. We also agree that in most cases the level of support should increase step-wise during the early phases of the work and then diminish step-wise after an appropriate midpoint is reached. There is . nothing completely sacred about this pattern but it is one that frequently optimizes the use of funds. 3. As stated above, we are iqclined to believe at pWesent that focusing on individual laboratories will provide the most effective use of the Reynolds money. We should recognize, however, that the supporting insti- tution -- university or medical school -- will have special expenses in sustaining the laboratory and will merit a correlated "overhead" grant of perhaps 10% in lieu of direct charges for such matters as heat, light and janitorial services. If need be, the precise figure can be negotiated under a ceiling. 4. The general nature of the grant program will in- evitably become well known. It is clear that for good public relations those applications which are volunteered should be given serious study. We believe, however, that it will be very important to have the members of the ad- visory group visit promising individuals and institutions to obtain firsthand personal information regarding the best disposition of grant funds. 5. While one may wish to extend the program outside of the United States, I believe personally that it would be wisest to start out at home while gaining the experi- ence of managing the program. U~ 0 ~4

Mr. H. C. Roemer May i, 1978 -- 3 -- I have attempted to assess the appropriate compen- sation for one of the members of the advisory group and believe that a personal fee in the neighborhood of $i0,000 per year plus travel expenses and extra office expenses would be reasonable.' I would greatly appreciate the thoughts you and Mr. Stokes have on this matter. Inter- estingly enough, Dr. Shannon, who apparently is living mainly on pensions, stated that access to modest secre- tarial services and the ability to travel first class rather than coach would be more important to him than a personal fee. Thus, one probably wants to have flexibil- ity in handling individual cases. He likes to use his flying time for writing'and finds the crowded tourist flights inhospi£able for~serious work. As I said earlier, I would be glad to meet with you and Mr. Stokes between now and summer time to discuss these and related matters if you wish. We would also be glad to review any proposals which may arrive in the inter- vening period. On a purely personal side, i~ appears that we will shift our domicile in late June and early July but I should be relatively free by mid-July. Sincerely, Frederick Seitz cc: Mr. Colin Stokes