Federal Agencies Identify R&D Priorities for Critical U.S. Manufacturing Areas

Three of the major thrusts for the research investments of many states –  hydrogen energy technologies, nanomanufacturing, and intelligent and integrated manufacturing – are the focus of a new report by a federal Interagency Working Group on Manufacturing R&D. Manufacturing the Future: Federal Priorities for Manufacturing R&D describes the significance of each of the three critical manufacturing R&D areas, details the challenges essential for progress, discusses existing interagency collaborations and provides recommendations for future research.

Economic Impact of Measurement in the Semiconductor Industry

This report characterizes and quantitatively estimates investment in technology infrastructure by the U.S. semiconductor supply chain and the resulting economic benefits to those industries. Whereas previous retrospective studies have examined the economic impacts on various industries of specific NIST research programs, this new analysis represents an initial attempt to quantify the collective contribution of a wide range of measurement-related infrastructure technologies on productivity and growth at the industry level.

Do Subsidies Have Positive Impacts upon R&D and Innovation Activities at the Firm Level?

This research paper looks at the impact of R&D subsidies on Norwegian firms from the European Union and Norway. Subsidies are labeled as either "close to market" or "far from market", and it is found that "far from market" subsidies stimulate private R&D spending, and "close to market" subsidies substitute for private R&D spending.

Uncertainty and the Dynamics of R&D

Uncertainty varies strongly over time, rising by 50% to 100% in recessions and by up to 200% after major economic and political shocks. This paper shows that higher uncertainty reduces the responsiveness of R&D to changes in business conditions - a "caution-effect" - making it more persistent over time. Thus, uncertainty will play a critical role in shaping the dynamics of R&D through the business cycle, and its response to technology policy.