- "R&D Trends in the U.S. Economy" Released
- Education to Fund Disability & Rehabilitation Research
- Federal Government-University Research Partnership Reviewed
- USIP Reports on State Best Practices Roundtable
Copyright State Science & Technology Institute 2002. Information in this issue of the SSTI Weekly Digest was prepared under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration. Redistribution to all others interested in tech-based economic development is strongly encouraged — please cite the State Science & Technology Institute whenever portions are reproduced or redirected. Any opinions expressed in the Digest do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
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"R&D Trends in the U.S. Economy" Released
U.S. dominance as a source of technology for other economies is in serious trouble, according to "R&D Trends in the U.S. Economy: Strategies and Policy Implications," a new report by Gregory Tassey, senior economist with the Strategic Planning and Economic Analysis Group of the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST).The report highlights trends and global developments that are changing the nature of innovation and underlying research and development activities. NIST concludes that without the merger of R&D policy and a long-term economic growth policy, the U.S. role in innovation and the world economy is threatened.
Only seven percent of US industries have the necessary R&D intensity, measured by R&D-to-sales ratios, to maintain world class innovation, Tassey observed. Equally discouraging is the shift of US private R&D objectives to shorter-term projects and quicker paybacks.
The report reviews the economic dimensions of technology policy, the role of technology in the increasing volatility of the global markets, characteristics of market failure in technology life cycle, trends in R&D investment and the values of maintaining an R&D capability.
The Federal government's support for industrial R&D is "inefficiently funded and managed" due to a lack of the technology based model for economic policy and a true understanding of the government's role in supporting industrial R&D investment, Tassey argues. He sees three critical policy implications as a result:
- The U.S. cannot maintain its position of world leadership in technological innovation nor economic growth with such a small high-technology sector.
- To remain competitive, all sectors of the economy are becoming dependent on technology and, unless U.S. technology investments increase, U.S companies will become more dependent on foreign companies to supply the necessary technologies.
- Domestic R&D must be recognized as consisting of networks of industry, university and government inputs and treated as such in policy decisions.
Tassey notes several insufficiencies in current U.S. R&D investments: an insufficient total industrial investment in R&D: an underinvestment in the formation of new firms (i.e. an insufficient supply of venture capital); insufficient early-phase generic technology research investment; and underinvestment in supporting technology infrastructures. He considers the roles and failures of tax incentives and direct funding initiatives, and looks at the federal budgetary and policy shift toward civilian R&D.
To request a copy of "R&D Trends in the U.S. Economy: Strategies and Policy Implications," NIST Planning Report 99-2, contact Denise Herbert at (301) 975-2657 or denise.herbert@nist.gov. The report is available on the Web at http://www.nist.gov/director/prog-ofc/report99-2.pdf
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Education to Fund Disability & Rehabilitation Research
The U.S. Department of Education is inviting applications for new awards under the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program. Eligible applicants include states, public or private agencies, for-profit businesses, institutions of higher education and tribal organizations. Proposals are due on or before June 3, 1999. Proposals will be accepted for two research project topics and one rehabilitation research and training center area.Research Projects
Two funding priorities are available for the 1999 research project solicitation: 1) health care services for persons with disabilities, including analysis of access to the continuum of health care services and development of strategies to improve access for all ages of persons; and 2) medical rehabilitation services for persons with disabilities, especially those with emergent disabilities.Proposals may be for research projects extending up to 36 months and with an annual maximum contribution from the Department of Education of no more than $250,000.
Rehabilitation Research & Training Center
The Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers, operated in conjunction with institutions of higher education or rehabilitation service providers, conduct research in rehabilitation provide training services, serve as information and technical resources and disseminate materials in alternative formats to ensure accessibility to individuals with a range of disabilities. The Department of Education provides awards of up to 60 months. The maximum award amount is $700,000.One funding priority area has been set for the 1999 center solicitation: Health and Wellness for Persons with Long-Term Disabilities. The Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Center Program has enumerated eight separate tasks for the successful center applicant in the Notice of Final Funding Priorities for Fiscal Year 1999-2000. The Notice also includes more detailed information for the research project topics.
More information on the funding opportunity may be obtained from Donna Nangle within the Department of Education at Donna_Nangle@ed.gov or 202/205-2742. Copies of the Federal Register Notice for this and other Department of Education funding opportunities can be found at URL: http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/announcements/index.html
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Federal Government-University Research Partnership Reviewed
An interagency task force of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) has released its findings on the state of the science and technology partnership between the federal government and universities.The review of the government/university partnership began three years ago in response to letters from leaders in industry and academia, state governors, and Congress stating that incremental changes in government policy and administrative practices were undermining national objectives and harming universities. They urged a thorough review of the government-university research partnership to strengthen it and make it more effective.
A review of the issue was conducted by a task force under the auspices of the NSTC. The task force, comprised of the major federal research agencies (NIH, NSF, DOD, DOE, NASA, USDA), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and chaired by the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), solicited input from universities and federal agencies on matters considered most pressing and in need of review.
The task force made the following recommendations:
- The NSTC should work with the university community to develop a statement of principles of the government-university partnership to clarify the roles, responsibilities, and expectations of the parties -- namely, funding agencies, universities, individual investigators, and regulatory bodies -- and to provide a framework for the development of new policies, rules, regulations, and laws affecting the partnership.
- It should be recognized that federal grants support not only scientists but also the university students with whom they work. NSTC will lead efforts to eliminate government regulations that enforce artificial distinctions between students and employees so that students are to fulfill their dual roles as learners and research workers.
- NSTC should take action to modify selected business practices of federal agencies in order to reduce the administrative burden on researchers and to promote cost and administrative efficiencies while maintaining accountability for public funds.
NSTC is a cabinet-level agency charged with coordinating science, space, and technology policies throughout the federal government. The report is available online at: www.whitehouse.gov/WH/EOP/OSTP/html/rand/index.htm
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USIP Reports on State Best Practices Roundtable
The United States Innovation Partnership (USIP) reported on a recent roundtable discussion on the 21st Century Economy. The topic of the discussion was the role of states in science and technology. The roundtable highlighted "best practices" in technology-based economic development in five states (Oklahoma, Kansas, Indiana, Utah, and Pennsylvania).USIP is a state-federal partnership, created in 1997, to establish a new working relationship between the states and the federal government which will promote the development of a national innovation system. The roundtable was profiled in the most recent issue of PACESETTER, a publication of the Technology Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce. A complete copy of the text of this article will be available soon at http://www.ta.doc.gov/Newsletters.htm
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