Drum Beating in Washington About Innovation and Competitiveness
Summer of 2005 has seen lots of buzz and hand wringing about
the state of U.S. innovation and competitiveness, and the worry
will extend into the fall:
Hearings: On July 21, the House Science Committee convened
hearings on innovation and the U.S. economy. The Committee
heard testimony from top executives from IBM, Cisco Systems,
and Johns Hopkins University. They warned that the changing
dynamics of the global economy and aggressive challenges from
other nations are threatening America’s economic position.
Witnesses called for more attention to innovation as a national
priority, more focus on education, and robust investments
in R&D.
National Summit on Innovation: House Science Committee
Chair Boehlert, Subcommittee Chair Ehlers, and House
Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Wolf are driving
development of a National Innovation Summit to be held in
December. The Summit will bring together leaders in business
and academia to discuss the Nation’s innovation challenges
and help chart a course for the future.
Promises of Legislation: On July 20, Senators Lieberman,
Ensign, Allen, and Salazar announced their intention to
introduce comprehensive legislation to ensure that the
United States remains the lead in innovation, R&D, and the
training of scientists and engineers. The new legislation is
to be based on the Council on Competitiveness National
Innovation Initiative Report, and would increase Federal support
for research, and “address” the U.S. innovation infrastructure.
By the end of August, no legislation had been introduced.
New Study: Senators Alexander and Bingaman asked the
National Academy of Sciences to convene a panel of “best minds”
in the scientific and technical community to perform a quick
turn-around study that answers certain questions about
U.S. innovation, competitiveness, and globalization. The
project—Prospering in the Global Economy of the 21st Century:
An Agenda for American Science and Technology—is aimed at
identifying the top ten actions the Federal government can take
to strengthen the science and technology enterprise, so that
the United States can compete and prosper in the new global
economy. The panel met in August, and a report is due at the
end of September.
Urging the President: In May, House Appropriations Subcommittee
Chairman Frank Wolf wrote the President, encouraging him to
triple the Nation’s investment in innovation over the next decade.
TechVision21 Inside View: Rumor has it that a subsequent letter
exchange bordered on the exasperated.
TechVision21 Inside View: What’s to become of all this Washington
hubbub? We may see some crumbs thrown at physical sciences and
engineering R&D — they’ve lobbied hard for it. And we may see
some small increases in math and science education, and support
for students who study in these fields. But not much more, the
funds aren’t there. The war against terrorism and operations
in Iraq continue to put the hard squeeze on the Federal
discretionary budget, not to mention the unanticipated expense
of handling the Gulf coast disaster.
For more information on any of these Administration initiatives,
and how they may affect your organization, please contact
us at info@techvision21.com or
(202) 263-0168.
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