WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Congress, led by Senators John Ensign (R-NV) and Joe Lieberman (D-CT),
yesterday unveiled a proposal calling for a boost in R&D funding for basic
and advanced science, in an effort to spearhead nationwide attention toward developing
domestic engineering talent and ideas.
In a letter to colleagues, the senators said the bill “aims
to make the necessary improvements in research, education of science and
technology talent and innovation infrastructure to allow the United States to maintain the
global leadership it achieved in the last century.” The bill responds to the
recommendations made in the National Innovation Initiative report, “Innovate America,”
issued late last year by the Council on Competitiveness.
The National Innovation Act of 2005 calls for a national commitment
to basic research, and would nearly double the National Science Foundation’s research
funding from 2007 through 2011.
In a statement today, the Semiconductor Industry Association said it strongly supports the bill.
The proposal also calls on each executive agency that
currently funds R&D in science, mathematics, engineering and technology to commit
at least 3% of its existing annual R&D budget to this program. The Department
of Defense would be urged to allocate at least 20% of this amount toward basic
research in science and technology.
A total of $300 million between 2007 and 2011 would go to the
National Institute of Standards and Technology to support R&D in the
industrial sector to develop innovative, state-of-the-art manufacturing
practices. Among the targets: improving advanced distributed and desktop
manufacturing capabilities, developing small lot manufacturing processes that
are compatible with volume production, and applying nanotechnology to
manufacturing.
More than $475 million would be committed graduate fellowships
and other education support within the DoD. Another $111 million would go to various
universities and government agencies to fund graduate fellowships and training.
A total of $1 million would go to the National Academy
for a yearlong study of potential barriers to private sector innovation.
The proposal includes a provision to make permanent the
research credit of the Internal Revenue Code. The credit, originally enacted in
1981, has been extended 11 times and is scheduled to expire Dec. 31. The tax credit
should permit companies to engage more easily in long-term research projects.
The proposal also calls for U.S. patent law reform to enhance
the quality of patents, to leverage patent databases as innovation tools, and
to create best practices for global collaborative standard-setting.
Under the proposed act, the President would create a Council
on Innovation comprised of heads of various executive agencies including
Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy and others. The Council, which will be
chaired by the Secretary of Commerce, will have oversight over legislative
proposals and executive branch initiatives for promoting innovation. The bill came shortly after a high level summit on innovation and competitiveness. On Dec. 6, more than 55 corporate CEOs, university
presidents and scientists from across the country participated in a
day-long summit during which they pressed cabinet secretaries and
members of Congress for more R&D funding; a
greater emphasis on science, math and engineering education;
immigration reform for highly educated, high-skill foreign nationals
and support for development of advanced technologies.
Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, Energy
Secretary Samuel Bodman, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, Education
Secretary Margaret Spellings and Deputy Commerce Secretary David
Sampson were among those who met with summit participants to discuss policy
prescriptions for future economic success. The SIA released a statement announcing its "strong support"
for Act. "U.S. leadership in technology has been the cornerstone of
America’s strategies for driving economic growth and ensuring national
security,” said SIA president George Scalise. “The National Innovation Act of 2005
addresses a number of the most critical issues involving technology
leadership, especially those related to federal support for basic
research."
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