U.S. innovation policy, which in the latter half of the twentieth century became focused on massive federal investment in basic research, is no longer tenable, according to a new report from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF). In the post-World War II era, the federal government funded a wide variety of costly basic research projects at U.S. universities and federal laboratories without a guiding economic strategy for these investments.

As Congress considers comprehensive immigration reform, policymakers are debating the effect of high-skilled immigration on the U.S. economy. Amidst the fervent discussion, the question has been raised of whether or not there is a shortage of domestic high-skilled workers, especially those in the field of science, technology, engineering and math; a question that now is being fiercely debated by two renowned policy groups. Researchers from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) recently made the claim that the U.S. has a sufficient supply of workers to fill the demand of STEM occupations.

In an era of tightening fiscal constraints, states have to make tough decisions, establish clear economic development funding priorities and transform their economic development models to take advantage of immediate opportunities and position their state for long-term economic growth. Mississippi, Oklahoma and Washington have released state-specific strategic plans that make those tough decisions by focusing their resources on key science & technology (S&T) areas to address the economic impacts of the Great Recession and position the state for future prosperity.

The National Research Council has released a report that establishes key indicators for measuring improvement to the U.S. K-12 science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education system. The report lays out three key goals for national K-12 STEM education: expand the number of students who pursue advanced degrees and careers in STEM fields, and broaden sector participation for women and minorities; expand the STEM workforce and broaden the participation of women and minorities; and, increase science literacy for all students in the U.S. education system.

The federal, cross-agency Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) has proven so invaluable to developing STEM expertise across the country that the word "experimental" should be removed from its name, according to a comprehensive new report from the National Academies. The academies, however, recommend that the program be restructured to create a more rigorous competitive process for research projects and improve project evaluation. Download the report...

U.S. immigration policies are irrational and undirected according to a new report from the Partnership for a New American Economy and Partnership for New York City — Not Coming To America: Why the U.S. is Falling Behind in the Global Race for Talent. In sharp contrast, to attract immigrants that drive economic growth and increase international competitiveness, foreign countries have adopted targeted and strategic policies that include:

Governments of advanced economies are starting to believe as the 21st century advances significant opportunities for their technology-based product and service sectors will emerge from increasingly open, competitive and affluent global markets. To compete in this changing world, they are looking to expand access to capital for startups and entrepreneurs, support their research and development (R&D) infrastructure and address weaknesses in their national economies.