# Presentation: 580756

## The Office of Science and Technology PolicyExecutive Office of the President of the United States

- Kate Beers
- Assistant Director
- Physical Sciences and Engineering
- June 7, 2007

## What is Public Policy?

- Policy IS NOT about politics
- Policy IS about collaboration to find optimal solutions to hard problems
- Public policy is not restricted to government, but includes private businesses, non-profits, industry, universities, etc
- Public policy at its finest is when diverse groups work together to find a solution that satisfies the concerns of all

## The Office of Science and Technology Policy

**The Office of Science and Technology Policy**

- • Advise the President and others within the Executive Office of the President on the impacts of science and technology on domestic and international affairs
- • Lead an interagency effort to develop and implement sound science and technology policies and budgets
- • Work with the private sector to ensure Federal investments in science and technology contribute to economic prosperity, environmental quality, and national security
- • Build strong partnerships among Federal, State, and local governments, other countries, and the scientific community
- • Evaluate the scale, quality, and effectiveness of the Federal effort in science and technology

## OSTP FUNCTIONAL ORGANIZATION

- Assistant DirectorSpace & Aeronautics

- Assistant DirectorTechnology
- R&D

- Assistant DirectorLife Sciences

- Assistant DirectorPhysical Sciences & Engineering

- Assistant DirectorSocial, Behavioral &
- Education Science

- Assistant DirectorTelecom & Information Tech

- Assistant DirectorEnvironment

- ADMINISTRATIVESTAFF

- Administration
- Budget
- Security
- Office SupportComputing

- FUNCTIONALSTAFF

- Legal affairs
- Legislative affairs
- Budget analysis
- Communications
- International
- NSTC
- PCAST

- Assistant DirectorHomeland Security

- Assistant DirectorNational Security

- Assistant DirectorNatl. Security/
- Emergency
- Preparedness Com.

- PCAST

- NSTC

**OSTP FUNCTIONAL ORGANIZATION**

- Dr. John H. Marburger, III

## OSTP Resources and Communication

- Federal Agencies / National Labs
- DOE, NASA, NSF
- PCAST and NSTC (Interagency Working Groups)
- Other EOP offices
**OMB**, CEQ, NSC, HSC, etc.
- Congress
- Authorizing and Appropriating (Sub)Committees
- National Academies Boards and Committees
- Decadal Surveys and other reports
- Scientific Societies and User Groups
- Industry Representatives

## With only 5% of the world’s population, the US employs nearly 1/3 of all scientists and engineers
The US accounts for 1/3 of all R&D spending in the world
US scientists publish 35% of all science and engineering articles in the world
US R&D spending is larger than any other nation
US Government provides the majority funding for fundamental research that may have no immediate application

- The US accounts for 1/3 of all R&D spending in the world
- US scientists publish 35% of all science and engineering articles in the world
- US R&D spending is larger than any other nation
- US Government provides the majority funding for fundamental research that may have no immediate application

**Where are we today?**

## Unlocking Our Future: Toward a New National Science Policy

- The growth of economies throughout the world since the industrial revolution began has been driven by continual technological innovation through the pursuit of scientific understanding and application of engineering solutions.  **America has been particularly successful in capturing the benefits of the scientific and engineering enterprise, but it will take continued investment in this enterprise if we hope to stay ahead of our economic competitors in the rest of the world.**  Many of those challengers have learned well the lessons of our employment of the research and technology enterprise for economic gain.
**	****	****	****	****	****	*****-1998, Vernon Ehlers (R-MI)***

## Federal Non-Defense R&D Funding (Outlays in Billions, Constant 2000 Dollars)

## Federal Spending on Life Sciences and Physical Sciences Research 1980-2005

**Federal Spending on Life Sciences and Physical Sciences Research 1980-2005**

## Total Non-Defense R&D FY07 proposed

**Total Non-Defense R&D FY07 proposed**

## From 1993 to 2000, federal support for the physical sciences and certain areas of engineering remained relatively flat, and in some instances decreased.  While it makes sense that biological and life sciences support has increased given fundamental advances in this field and the heightened interest in health issues, long-term breakthroughs in biological and life sciences will also rely on strengthening the physical sciences and engineering as well. 
International competition is stronger than ever.  

- International competition is stronger than ever.

- http://www.ostp.gov/pcast/pcast.html

**PCAST Report – October 2002****Assessing the U.S. R&D Investment **

## The Voices Behind Competitiveness

*No Child Left Behind Act*
- Funding Trends – 2001 to present
- PCAST – Science for the 21st Century – 2004
- President Bush’s *A New Generation of American Innovation* - 2004
- Council on Competitiveness – 2004
- Rising Above the Gathering Storm – 2005

## Keeping America Competitive

**Keeping America Competitive**

- America's economic strength and global leadership depend on innovation.  A comprehensive strategy will sustain U.S. economic competitiveness, including:
- Federal investment in R&D;
- Education system that equips Americans with a strong foundation in technical subjects;
- Universities that provide world-class education and research opportunities;
- Immigration policies that attract the best and brightest to enhance entrepreneurship, competitiveness, and job creation in America;
- Favorable environment for private sector R&D; and
- Business environment that encourages entrepreneurship and protects intellectual property.

## Keeping America Competitive

**Keeping America Competitive**

- Principles of ACI
- ACI is not based on fear; rather, it is based on **optimism and confidence** about the future and on trust in American entrepreneurship.
- The ACI focuses on **long term investment** – in basic research, in early stage education, in creating business conditions that encourage long term private sector investments in R&D, and in creating a research environment that attracts the best and brightest from around the world.
- The ACI is about** priorities**
- Cutting-edge basic research that supports the development of valuable and marketable technologies, processes and techniques;
- Large scale facilities and instruments that enable innovation;
- Research in areas that are under funded (physical sciences/engineering) or that have a broad impact on other fields of science.

## Supporting High Impact Research

- Over ten years, the ACI commits **$50 billion** to increase funding for research and **$86 billion** in tax incentives for R&D.  In FY07, ACI commits **$5.9 billion** for research, education, and tax incentives.  ACI includes:
- Doubling funding for research at NSF, DoE Office of Science, and DoC’s National Institute for Standards and Technology;
- $910M in FY07, $50B over 10 years
- Making the research and experimentation (R&E) tax credit permanent and working with Congress to modernize it to make it more effective.
- $4.6B in FY07, $86.4B over 10 years

## R&D Budget Process

- 1. OSTP & OMB issue guidance
- memorandum on R&D priorities

- 2. Agencies prepare and submit
- proposed budgets
- to OMB

- 3. Passback, negotiations, & appeals between agencies and EOP

- 4. President makes final decisions and sends Budget Request to Congress

- 5. Congress reviews, considers, & approves *overall* Budget Request

- 6. Appropriations hearings with agencies & EOP on individual programs

- 7. Congress marks up & passes agency appropriations bills

- 8. President signs or vetoes appropriations bills

- 9. Agencies make decisions on allocation of resources consistent with enacted appropriations and program plans

## Mandatory Spending is Overwhelming the Rest of the Budget

## Current Trends are not Sustainable

## Prioritization of Future Projects

- Everything is getting more expensive
- Competition between apples and oranges is stiff
- Ground-based Telescopes, Space-based Experiments (astrophysics, **earth science**, heliophysics, etc.), Accelerators (colliders, light sources, SNS), other Neutron Sources
- Arctic / Oceanic Research Vessels, Exploration, Super-Computing Facilities, Pandemic Influenza, Disease Surveillance, Food Supply Regulation (contamination threats), Data Archiving / Management, Chemical Security, Genomics Facilities, Nanofabs, **Alternative Energy Technology**, etc.
- A new model for Life Sciences Infrastructure?
- Construction vs. Operating Costs

## Opportunity / Need for Cooperation and Communication

- Interagency Cooperation
- Physics of the Universe Interagency Working Group
- National Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee
- International Cooperation
- Less international duplication / competition in large-scale High Energy Physics Facilities
- How to plan for an ILC?
- Are there good examples?  Case studies?
- Science of Science Policy
- Measuring and understanding the impact of our investments
- How do we value the human imperative to discover the nature of the physical universe?