Business Week on Research in Industry

On August 31, 2009, In Economic Stimulus and Recovery, Funding, Policy, R&D in the Press, By MelissaNorr

CRA frequently talks about the need for more basic scientific research but we focus almost exclusively on governmental research investment. We talk about the fall of DARPA and the need for NSF to increase to compensate. We don’t spend quite as much time talking about industry investment in basic research. An article in Business Week points out the necessity of industry participation in the research ecosystem and the rich history of corporate laboratories’ basic research contributions. It’s a very interesting article that weaves together the past and present research ecosystems, today’s economic concerns, and suggestions for tackling the problems we see today.
The article discusses the two times in US history when the government spurred scientific innovation in a short period of time – the Manhattan Project and the Apollo space mission – and the reasons they were so successful. It states, “Their success can be mapped to five crucial success factors: 1) full and sustained Presidential support; 2) effective leadership with a clearly defined mandate; 3) access to resources; 4) parallel paths/processing to save time; and 5) private sector outsourcing.”
It also discusses the best basic research model which it says combines universities’ research efforts and “a dynamic public-private network of labs and a venture capital industry waiting downstream to commercialize ideas and turn them into large public companies that create hundreds of thousands of new jobs. Here’s what’s needed to get that model back on track:

  • Clear national goals in two or three key areas, such as carbon-free energy and preventive medicine.

  • Government commitment of $10 billion a year above and beyond spending for national agencies to jump-start new industrial research labs.
  • Government tax credits for corporations that commit to spending 5% to 10% (or more) of R&D on basic research.”

The article is a good read with good historical background and ideas for the present.

 
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Computing Researchers Applaud Congress for Strong Investments in Science, Innovation

On February 13, 2009, In Economic Stimulus and Recovery, By Peter Harsha

Press Release
Contact: Peter Harsha
COMPUTING RESEARCHERS APPLAUD CONGRESS FOR STRONG INVESTMENTS IN SCIENCE, INNOVATION
WASHINGTON, Feb 13, 2009 — Members of the computing research community today praised Congress for passing an economic stimulus package that includes substantial investments in the nation’s science and engineering enterprise. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 includes just over $7 billion in supplemental funding for several key federal science agencies, including the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Computing Research Association Chair Daniel A. Reed said congressional action to pass the economic recovery legislation shows that members “understand the fierce urgency of innovation to ensure our economic future.”
“Congress and the Administration clearly recognize that today’s urgent economic challenges require strategic investment in research and research infrastructure to spawn tomorrow’s great discoveries and innovations,” Reed said. “This funding will also provide an immediate jolt to an innovation ecosystem that is key to ensuring our long-term economic success and quality of life.”
Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist Peter Lee echoed Reed’s assessment. “The investments in education, research and scientific research facilities in this bill can be put to use right now to create a stronger, more resilient economy and a more highly-skilled, competitive workforce in this country,” Lee said. “The investments in research are both the fuel for our long-term innovation and a down payment on tomorrow’s infrastructure.”
University of Washington computer scientist Edward Lazowska said the community was heartened when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi named her four priorities for the bill as “science, science, science and science,” and was “absolutely thrilled” when it became clear that those priorities had survived the conference process with the Senate. “Science lays the foundation for the future. Like the Internet and Google in previous decades, today’s computing research will become tomorrow’s vital infrastructure. America will be far stronger for the investments that Congress and the Administration have made”
About CRA: CRA represents more than 250 research entities in academia, industry and government. Its mission is to strengthen research and advance education in the computing fields, expand opportunities for women and minorities, and improve public and policymaker understanding of the importance of computing and computing research in society.
On the web: http://www.cra.org

 
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House Numbers for Science Prevail in Stimulus Conference

On February 12, 2009, In Economic Stimulus and Recovery, By Peter Harsha

Speaker Pelosi’s office just released a fact sheet on the conference agreement for the American Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act and, wow, it looks good for science agencies in the bill. Here’s the relevant bit:

Transform our Economy with Science and Technology:  To secure America’s role as a world leader in a competitive global economy, we are renewing America’s investments in basic research and development, in training students for an innovation economy, and in deploying new technologies into the marketplace.  This will help businesses in every community succeed in a global economy.

Investing in Scientific Research (More than $15 Billion)
  • Provides $3 billion for the National Science Foundation, for basic research in fundamental science and engineering – which spurs discovery and innovation.
  • Provides $1.6 billion for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, which funds research in such areas as climate science, biofuels, high-energy physics, nuclear physics and fusion energy sciences – areas crucial to our energy future.
  • Provides $400 million for the Advanced Research Project Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to support high-risk, high-payoff research into energy sources and energy efficiency in collaboration with industry.
  • Provides $580 million for the National Institute of Standards and Technology, including the Technology Innovation Program and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership.
  • Provides $8.5 billion for NIH, including expanding good jobs in biomedical research to study diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cancer, and heart disease.
  • Provides $1 billion for NASA, including $400 million to put more scientists to work doing climate change research.
  • Provides $1.5 billion for NIH to renovate university research facilities and help them compete for biomedical research grants.

Extending Broadband Services

  • Provides $7 billion for extending broadband services to underserved communities across the country, so that rural and inner-city businesses can compete with any company in the world.
  • For every dollar invested in broadband, the economy sees a ten-fold return on that investment.

It’s essentially everything we asked for. The entire fact sheet (pdf) doesn’t seem to be online yet, but we’ve got it here.
We’ll have more on the details as soon as we get them, but this is appears to be great news for the science community and great news for those who care about the long-term health of America’s innovation ecosystem!

 
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