And from which we must address several key challenges. They are really essential. Countries today compete to attract and retain industry, jobs, and plants. In our country, that's happening right now with electric utilities Increasingly, we see corporations becoming focused on their core businesses, with an emphasis on near-term results. In many industries, alliances, mergers and acquisitions, and outsourcing are growing.
Most industries are under intense competitive pressures.
Such research priorities tend to stress maximum return on development, often leveraging suppliers and partners. For Argonne, this is both an opportunity and a challenge. However, this general trend will be influenced by industry, and those institutions that respond to change will have a competitive advantage. Which means we have to do it better. And I am quite confident that we can.