Competitiveness & Innovation
The American Physical Society supports the opinion of the National Academy of Sciences “Rising Above the Gathering Storm” report, which states:
“We owe our current prosperity, security, and good health to the investments of past generations, and we are obliged to renew those commitments in education, research, and innovation policies to ensure that the American people continue to benefit from the remarkable opportunities provided by the rapid development of the global economy and its not inconsiderable underpinning in science and technology.”
America must reinvest in both basic scientific research and science and math education if it hopes to be competitive in the 21st Century. To that end, the society is a member of a number of coalitions: the Taskforce on the Future of American Innovation; Energy Sciences Coalition (ESC); Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF); the STEM Education Coalition; and the Alliance for Science and Technology Research (ASTRA), to name a few.
Society Statements on Competitiveness and Innovation:
Read more APS positions and statements.
Recent Activity
President's FY08 Budget Request - The President's FY 08 Budget request continued the Administration's commitment to the American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI) that proposes to double the aggregate funding for the NSF, the DOE Office of Science and NIST Scientific and Technical Research and Services (STRS) that includes the NIST laboratories and the Malcolm Baldridge Program. With FY 07 funding bills not yet having been enacted, the White House was forced to base its spending plan on the FY 07 presidential request. The three ACI accounts would grow by 7 percent compared to that request and even more compared to the appropriated levels in the Joint Resolution, as indicated in the table. The President's proposed cuts for the DOD research account are largely the result of removing FY 07 earmarks, but the 6.1 (basic research) and 6.2 (applied research) still would not fare well. The FY 08 request would provide a 0.7 percent increase for the 6.1 program, significantly less than inflation, and a 2.7 percent decrease to the 6.2 program. For NASA science, the request would provide a very modest 0.9 percent relative to the FY 07 request, although comparisons are difficult to make because of re-definitions within the budget. (See April issue of the Washington Dispatch)
Status of FY08 Presidential Budget Request for Key Physical Science Research Funding Agencies
| Account | FY05 ($B) | FY06 ($B) | FY07 ($B) |
| |
| ($B) | % Change*** | ||||
| DOE Office of Science | 3.57* | 3.47* | 3.8 | 4.4 | +15.8 |
| DOE EERE | 1.23 | 1.16 | 1.46 | 1.24 | -15.6 |
| NSF | 5.48 | 5.59 | 5.92 | 6.43 | +8.7 |
| NIST STRS | 0.38* | 0.40* | 0.43 | 0.50 | +16.4 |
| NIST ATP | 0.14 | 0.08 | 0.08 | 0 | -100 |
| DOD 6.1 | 1.49 | 1.46 | 1.56 | 1.43 | -8.7 |
| DOD 6.2 | 4.79 | 4.95 | 5.33 | 4.36 | -18.2 |
| NASA Science | 5.50 | 5.25 | 5.25 | 5.52** | NA |
* - Adjusted for Congressionally Mandated Programs (or Earmarks)
** - New budget structure; comparison with previous years is not appropriate.
*** - % Change from FY07 Request.
EERE: Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy
STRS: Scientific and Technical Research ATP: Advanced Technology Program
Read more about APS's policy activities.
Important Items concerning Competitiveness and Innovation
- The National Academies issues the report "Rising Above the Gathering Storm" [Read Executive Summary, PDF]
- New Report by the Taskforce on the Future of American Innovation: "Benchmarks of Our Innovation Future II" [Download Report] (11/06)
- Report by the Taskforce on the Future of American Innovation: "Benchmarks of Our Innovation Future" [Download Report] (2/05)
- Taskforce on the Future of Innovation website
- Energy Science Coalition (ESC) website
- Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF) website
- Alliance for Science and Technology Research (ASTRA) website
