HEALTH

RAND Wins Contract: The National Science Foundation selected RAND Corp. to establish and manage the Critical Technologies Institute, a new federally funded research and development center to help formulate national technology policy. The nonprofit firm named Stephen M. Drezner director of the new center. The selection of RAND follows a National Science Board report finding that scientific research at American corporations is in a perilous state. Officials said the new institute will address the unified technology policy the United States needs to maintain its competitive position in the world. The institute, which will have a staff of 50, will be based at RAND’s Washington office.