"...if we don't invest today in science, technology, and education then our economy simply will not continue to thrive."
— House Science Committee Chairman
Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY)
"The skill and literacy requirements of today's workplace cannot be met if we do
not provide everyone access to
lifelong education, training, and retraining."
—
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Mike Enzi (R-WY)
At the dawn of the 21st Century, America desperately needs a new national competitiveness strategy. After a decade of economic prosperity in the 1990's, the nation was buffeted by recession in 2001 and by a prolonged jobless recovery marked by unprecedented levels of unemployment in high technology fields. Today we face a new, more rough and tumble form of global economic competition, especially in science, engineering and technology based sectors that have fueled U.S. prosperity since World War II.
China's emergence as a manufacturing superpower, India's strength as a leading provider of business process outsourcing services and the collapse of the former Soviet Union have added at least 2.5 billion people to world labor markets already awash in talented, highly motivated people. Continuing advances in digital technologies and the inexorable spread of the Internet have added a whole new dimension to America's competitiveness challenge. Any task that can be digitized
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from chip design to financial analysis to sophisticated pharmaceutical research
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can now be performed in many less developed countries at prices developed countries just can't match.
IEEE-USA Policy Communications
IEEE-USA Participation in Coalitions Council on Competitiveness - "In 1986 the United States was facing one of its most dire economic challenges since the end of World War II: the country slid from being the world's largest creditor to its largest debtor; its position as a global leader in technology and innovation was declining; and American industries were losing market share to international competitors. To meet this mounting challenge, two-dozen industrial, university, and labor leaders joined together to found the Council on Competitiveness, a forum for elevating national competitiveness to the forefront of national consciousness."
www.compete.org/about_us/members_affiliates.asp Related IEEE-USA Information
If the U.S. is to compete in a world economy that is knowledge based and driven by technology, our technology workforce must be supported by policies that encourage a well-educated and stable workforce. For further information, please visit:
Events
6 DECEMBER 2005: National Summit on S&T, Innovation, and Manufacturing – In May 2005, Congressmen. Frank Wolf (R-VA), Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY), and Vern Ehlers (R-MI), announced that they were taking a proactive stance in dealing with possible U.S. decline in our ability to compete in the global marketplace. The legislators requested that the Department of Commerce plan an innovation/ science summit. Working with the Department of Commerce in planning the summit are four lead business organizations: the Council on Competitiveness; the Business Roundtable; AeA; and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), is planning the summit. Additional information forthcoming.
12 OCTOBER 2005: Public briefing on a new congressionally-requested report from the National Academies' Committee - Prospering in the Global Economy of the 21st Century identifies and prioritizes the top four actions and 20 implementation steps U.S. policy-makers should take to enhance America's prosperity and competitiveness. The committee chaired by Norman Augustine, retired Chairman and CEO of Lockeed Martin, includes several current and former corporate CEOs, university presidents, federal and state government leaders, and eminent researchers (including three Nobel prize winners).
The report will be discussed at a one-hour public briefing on Wednesday, 12 October beginning at 2 p.m. in the Lecture Room of the National Academies building, 2100 C St., N.W. in Washington DC. Those who cannot attend may listen to a live audio webcast and submit questions using an e-mail form at http://national-academies.org. For more information see www.nationalacademies.org/prospering.
19-21 OCTOBER 2005: "Acceleration Innovation 2005" A National Conference Hosted by The Accelerating Innovation Foundation- IEEE-USA's Technology Policy Council (TPC) is co-sponsoring this event that promises to, "Take innovation from a global perspective down to a regional level."
19-21 OCTOBER 2005: SSTI Conference: Investing in a Brighter Future: Building Tech-based Economies - To help the U.S. deal with a flat world, the State Science & Technology Institute (SSTI) has designed the agenda of its annual conference to reflect the reality of Thomas Friedman's latest book, The World is Flat.
"While the pundits talk about the issue, the most pressing issue is what we're going to do about it. To protect our future we need to increase entrepreneurship, expand access to capital, fully integrate our universities into our economic system, improve our workforce through improved education, and better involve underrepresented peoples and regions." Descriptions of the sessions and bios of speakers can be viewed at http://www.ssti.org/conference05.htm
ONGOING: House Democrats have put technology on their agenda, are focusing on innovation, and bringing competitiveness into their rhetoric. On 9 September, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) began a multi-city tour to discuss innovation with industry CEOs. She held conversations with venture capitalist John Doerr, Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers and Symantec John Thompson about immigration, funding for federal research and development, science and math education, and patent reform. Pelosi also traveled to Seattle to speak with Congressmen Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) and Adam Smith (D-Wash.) to discuss competitiveness. The meetings are likely to result in a Democratic tech agenda that could include a possible proposal to exempt small companies from tax-reporting requirements under a 2002 accounting law bold ideas for the future. For more info, contact Congresswoman Pelosi's office.
15 SEPTEMBER 2005: The Forum on Technology and Innovation: Basic Research
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The Foundation of the Innovation Economy - Sena tors John Ensign and Blanche Lincoln, co-chairs of the Forum on Technology & Innovation, held a briefing on the future of Basic Research and its effect on the foundation of the innovation economy.
America's level of investment in basic research is the subject of much debate in Washington
—
whether it is enough, too much, too short-term or long, or too risk averse or risky; just to identify a few of the key issues. What is not in dispute is the positive impact basic research has on our economy. Many of America's most innovative industries
—
from semiconductors to GPS guidance systems to laser eye surgery
—
are built upon basic research that at the time had no obvious commercial impact. Since the space race of the 1960s, the federal government has been the leader in funding high risk, frontier research through various agencies including DARPA, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Energy and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
As U.S. policymakers grapple with the funding levels for these agencies, other countries are increasing their investments in basic research with an eye towards reaping the benefits from their own innovations. No longer is the United States the only place for scientists to seek support for groundbreaking research. If basic research truly is the foundation for economic growth, then what response is warranted?
To help better understand the importance of basic research in our economy today and in the future, the Forum on Technology & Innovation brought together a panel of experts to answer questions such as:
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What is basic research?
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What kind of research is the federal government funding?
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Who is conducting the research?
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What can taxpayers reasonably expect as a return on their investment?
For additional information, visit www.tech-forum.org
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Key Legislation
Manufacturing Technology Competitiveness Act of 2005 (HR 250) - To establish an interagency committee to coordinate Federal manufacturing research and development efforts in manufacturing, strengthen existing programs to assist manufacturing innovation and education, and expand outreach programs for small and medium-sized manufacturers, and for other purposes.
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Bill Status
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Summary Workforce Investment Act Amendments of 2005 (S.1021) - A bill that will give states the flexibility to provide training for jobs in high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand occupations.
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Bill Status
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Senate Press Release Higher Education Amendments Act of 2005 - A bill that will help retain America's competitive edge in the global economy by ensuring that higher education prepares today's students for the demands of tomorrow's workplace.
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Bill Status
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Senate Press Release
Congressional Hearings, Press Releases & Statements
15 November 2005 - House Democratic Leader nancy Pelosi unveiled a new agenda to bolster American competitiveness in a speech at the National Press Club, Washington, D.C. She said, "The talent, intellect, and entrepreneurial spirit of the American people have made this nation the leader in economic and technological advancements. House Democrats believe American leadership is fueled by national investments in an educated and skilled workforce, groundbreaking federal research and development by public and private sectors, and a steadfast commitment to being the most competitive and innovative nation in the world. We are proud to announce the House Democrats’ Innovation Agenda: A Commitment to Competitiveness to Keep America #1."
The Innovation Agenda: A Committment to Competitiveness to Keep America #1 http://www.housedemocrats.gov/
Congresswoman Pelosi's Press Release
20 October 2005 - The House Science Committee will hold a hearing on "Science, Technology, and Global Economic Competitiveness"
Witnesses included Norman Augustine, Ret. Chairman & CEO, Lockheed Martin Corp.
Archived WEBCAST and statements
18 October 2005 - The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on national capacity for producing innovation in energy technologies and the importance of this innovation to global economic competitiveness. The committee also will hear testimony describing the results of the forthcoming National Academy of Sciences report, Rising Above The Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future.
Ralph Cicerone - President, The National Academies
Norman Augustine, Ret. Chairman & CEO, Lockheed Martin Corp.
21 July 2005 - Statement on Full Committee on Science - Hearing on U.S. Competitiveness: The Innovation Challenge
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Hearing documents and archived webcast
29 June 2005 - Statement on House Science Subcommittee on Research hearing on Nanotechnology: Where Does the U.S. Stand?
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Hearing documents and archived webcast
26 May 2005 -
U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Labor, Education, and Pensions hearing on
The 21st Century Workplace: Preparing for Tomorrow’s Employment Trends Today
- Bill information and Testimony
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Testimony of the Economic Policy Institute by Jared Bernstein
18 May 2005 - Statement on House Science Subcommittee on Research hearing on The National Nanotechnology Initiative: Review and Outlook
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Hearing documents and archived webcast
12 May 2005 - Statement on Full Science Committee Hearing on The Future of Computer Science Research in the U.S.
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Hearing documents and archived webcast
Other Reports & Resource Links Survey Finds That American Voters Get That STEM Education = Competitiveness
12 January 2006: The Business Roundtable released research telling us that Americans increasingly recognize that our status as the world's economic superpower is threatened. After four months of focus groups, interviews with opinion leaders and three national voter polls, the roundtable concluded there is widespread public recognition of the growing competitiveness crisis in this country and strong national support for policies designed to strengthen America’s capabilities in mathematics and science.
To view a summary of the research findings, click here.
To view a copy of the research presentation, click here.
To view a copy of the surveys, click here.
The World Economic Forum is out with its annual Global Competitiveness Report. The news is good for the US (which ranks No. 2), but it's even better for Scandinavia as Finland (No. 1), Sweden, and Denmark all rank in the top five countries for economic competitiveness. This report is among the world’s most comprehensive assessments of country competitiveness. It assesses 117 countries using dozens of indicators that measure three primary factors: the quality of a country's macroeconomic environment, the state of its public institutions, and the level of its technological readiness. A separate set of measures – the Business Competitiveness Index (BCI) – assesses each country’s business environment. On this measure, the US ranks No. 1 in terms of the sophistication and productivity of US-based businesses. Other nations in the top five BCI rankings are: Finland, Germany, Denmark, and Singapore.
Global Competitiveness Report, 2005-2006, by the World Economic Forum
National Academy of Sciences - But Despite the # 2 Ranking, America’s Coming Innovation Crash? - Despite high rankings from the World Economic Forum, leading experts and researchers are getting very worried about the state of America's science and technology infrastructure. The latest report of bad news comes from the prestigious National Academy of Sciences. Their report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Employing America for a Brighter Future, is a call to arms about the state of America’s innovation economy. The report notes that America still maintains a global lead in science and technology fields, but also contends that this leadership is rapidly eroding. The report includes a series of recommendations to stop this slide. They include new investments in improving K-12 science and math education, increasing federal investment in long term research by 10% per year, providing 25,000 new scholarships in fields of math, science, and engineering, and enacting a series of new tax incentives to help further support innovative activities. This bold blueprint has gained a lot of attention in the media, and on Capitol Hill.
National Academy of Sciences report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Employing America for a Brighter Future (http://www.nap.edu/books/0309100399/html)
Innovation Environments in Europe and the US - EU-sponsored TrendChart Policy Workshop, 2005
"An interesting new research paper compares and contrasts innovation environments in Europe and the US. Evaluating and Comparing the Innovation Performance of the United States and the European Union, by Giovanni Dosi, Patrick Llerena and Mauro Sylos Labini, finds significant performance differences between the US and EU countries. While the European Union (EU) maintains significant strengths in areas such as physical sciences and engineering, its overall performance lags that of the United States. In areas of high-level research and innovative product development, US universities and firms consistently outperform their European counterparts. Few European firms are major players in leading technology sectors like information technology or biotechnology. The authors recommend that the EU nations invest more resources in basic research, and make a stronger financial commitment to supporting world-class research universities. They also suggest consideration of a more interventionist
industrial policy to improve European performance in key industry sectors, such as energy conservation, nanotechnology and environmental protection. Evaluating and Comparing the Innovation Performance of the United States and the European Union:
www.insme.info/documents/
Innovativeperformance_USEU.pdf
Council on Competitiveness, National Innovation Initiative (NII) -
"The National Innovation Initiative kicked off in November of 2003, as members of the Council on Competitiveness felt the need to address a range of new challenges to America's innovation leadership. The first phase of the National Innovation Initiative was led by a Principals Committee of 19 CEO's and university presidents, chaired by Samuel J. Palmisano, Chairman and CEO of IBM Corporation, and G. Wayne Clough, President of the Georgia Institute of Technology. Supported by an Advisory Committee of innovation thought leaders and seven Working Groups involving over 300 participants, in December of 2004 at a National Innovation Summit in Washington, DC, the Principals Committee released Innovate America, an innovation policy agenda for the United States." Innovate America Report (December 2004)
www.compete.org
Task Force on the Future of American Innovation - "Formed in 2004, the Task Force urges strong, sustained increases for research budgets at the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy Office of Science, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and Department of Defense."The Knowledge Economy: Is the United States Losing Its Competitive Edge? (February 2005)
www.futureofinnovation.org
Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) - "The current debate over offshore outsourcing has been reduced by many to a binary argument: U.S. jobs vs. worldwide trade," EIA President Dave McCurdy said. "These are important issues, but for the sake of the nation and the U.S. economy, we should be focusing our energy on the much larger long-term issue of the future of U.S. innovation." The Technology Industry at an Innovation Crossroads, May 2004
AeA, (formerly the American Electronics Association) Losing the Competitive Advantage?: The Challenge for Science and Technology in the United States February 2005
National Bureau of Economic Research Does Globalization of the Scientific/Engineering Workforce Threaten U.S. Economic Leadership? by Richard Freeman (Working Paper 11457)
Business Roundtable and 14 other Business Organizations Tapping America’s Potential: The Education for Innovation Initiative 27 July 2005
TechNet "is committed to advancing U.S. competitiveness and economic growth. Public policies and private sector initiatives that spur our nation's innovation-driven global competitiveness are our top priority." View photos from this year's TechNet Day, and see who’s involved at
www.technet.org/technetday.
Download the TechNet Innovation Initiative Report and 2005 Policy Agenda (www.technet.org/resources/
TechNetInnovationInitiative.pdf)
World Bank Policy Research Working Paper series -
The impact of international students and skilled immigration in the United States on innovative activity is estimated using a model of idea generation. In the main specification a system of three equations is estimated, where dependent variables are total patent applications, patents awarded to U.S. universities, and patents awarded to other U.S. entities, each scaled by the domestic labor force. Results indicate that both international graduate students and skilled immigrants have a significant and positive impact on future patent applications, as well as on future patents awarded to university and nonuniversity institutions. The central estimates suggest that a 10 percent increase in the number of foreign graduate students would raise patent applications by 4.7 percent, university patent grants by 5.3 percent, and nonuniversity patent grants by 6.7 percent. Thus, reductions in foreign graduate students from visa restrictions could significantly reduce U.S. innovative activity. Increases in skilled immigration also have a positive, but smaller, impact on patenting.
The contribution of skilled immigration and international graduate students to U.S. innovation, Vol. 1 of 1 |
