This means that policymakers and practitioners who are responsible for meeting various needs of individuals and the community must make NIST researchers and developers of technological standards aware of public needs and the limitations of public resources that impair the efficiency and productivity of public-service agencies. In turn, agencies that are involved in technological research and technology transfer must make the time and exert the effort to learn about the challenges and needs of public enterprises, so they can tailor their research investments to produce outcomes likely to have the greatest beneficial impact on public safety and welfare. In this interview, Gallagher advocates for the development of structured and ongoing partnership mechanisms that develop research agendas through a collaborative interaction among policymakers, practitioners, representatives of the research community, and government agencies that fund the research.