Advancing America’s Global Leadership in Science & Technology

ADVANCING AMERICA’S GLOBAL 

LEADERSHIP IN SCIENCE & 

TECHNOLOGY

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HIGHLIGHTS: 2017–2020

OCTOBER 2020
ii 

ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT 

“Advancing America’s Global Leadership in Science and Technology – Trump Administration Highlights: 2017-2020” provides 

a selection of significant investments, policies, and other actions undertaken by President Trump and Federal departments 

and agencies during the Administration’s first term to advance science and technology progress.

About the Office of Science and Technology Policy

The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) was established by the National Science and Technology Policy, Organization, and Priorities Act of 1976 to provide the President and others within the Executive Office of the President with advice 

on the scientific, engineering, and technological aspects of the economy, national security, homeland security, health, foreign relations, the environment, and the technological recovery and use of resources, among other topics. OSTP leads 

interagency science and technology policy coordination efforts, assists the Office of Management and Budget with an annual 

review and analysis of Federal research and development budgets, and serves as a source of scientific and technological 

analysis and judgment for the President with respect to major policies, plans, and programs of the Federal Government. 

More information is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp. 

Copyright Information

This document is a work of the United States Government and is in the public domain (see 17 U.S.C. §105). Subject to the 

stipulations below, it may be distributed and copied with acknowledgment to OSTP. Copyrights to graphics included in this 

document are reserved by the original copyright holders or their assignees and are used here under the Government’s license and by permission. Requests to use any images must be made to the provider identified in the image credits or to 

OSTP if no provider is identified. Published in the United States of America, 2020.

Acknowledgments

These highlights were informed by the incredible work from across the Federal Government. We thank the Federal departments and agencies for their contributions, including Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce National 

Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce United States Patent and Trademark Office, Department of Defense, Department of Education, 

Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security, Department of the Interior United States Geological Survey, Department of Justice, Department of Labor, Department of State, Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection 

Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Institutes of Health, National Security Agency, National 

Science Foundation, Smithsonian Institute, United States Agency for International Development, and Veteran Affairs.

We also acknowledge the tireless and dedicated staff within The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and 

elsewhere across the Executive Office of the President. Their efforts during the first term of the Trump Administration helped 

make many of the highlights featured in this document possible. 
iii 

LIST OF COMMON ACRONYMS 

AI Artificial Intelligence

COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease 2019

CTO Chief Technology Officer

DARPA Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

DHS Department of Homeland Security

DOC Department of Commerce

DoD Department of Defense

DOE Department of Energy

DOI Department of the Interior

DOJ Department of Justice

DOL Department of Labor

ED Department of Education

EPA Environmental Protection Agency

FCC Federal Communications Commission

FDA Food and Drug Administration

FY Fiscal Year

IotF Industries of the Future

JCORE Joint Committee on the Research Environment

NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NIH National Institutes of Health

NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology

NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

ML Machine Learning

NSA National Security Agency

NSTC National Science and Technology Council

NSF National Science Foundation

OECD Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development

OMB Office of Management and Budget

OWS Operation Warp Speed

OSTP Office of Science and Technology Policy

PCAST President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology

QIS Quantum Information Science

QIST Quantum Information Science and Technology

R&D Research and Development

S&T Science and Technology

STEM Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

USDA United States Department of Agriculture

USDOT United States Department of Transportation

USGS United States Geological Survey

USPTO United States Patent and Trademark Office

VA Department of Veteran Affairs
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................................................................ 1

ACCELERATING AMERICAN LEADERSHIP IN THE INDUSTRIES OF THE FUTURE.................................................................... 2

Artificial Intelligence................................................................................................................................................................. 2

Quantum Information Science................................................................................................................................................. 5

Advanced Communications Networks & 5G............................................................................................................................ 8

Advanced Manufacturing ....................................................................................................................................................... 10

Biotechnology......................................................................................................................................................................... 11

Enabled by IotF: Advanced Transportation........................................................................................................................... 13

Enabling IotF: Future Advanced Computing Ecosystem....................................................................................................... 14

HEALTH SECURITY AND INNOVATION...................................................................................................................................... 16

An S&T Enterprise-wide Fight Against COVID-19 ................................................................................................................... 16

Combating the Opioid Epidemic............................................................................................................................................ 20

Improving the Health of U.S. Military Veterans ..................................................................................................................... 21

ENHANCING AMERICAN SECURITY ........................................................................................................................................... 24

EXPLORING, PRESERVING, & PROTECTING OUR OCEANS..................................................................................................... 27

PROMOTING SPACE LEADERSHIP............................................................................................................................................. 29

BUILDING THE S&T WORKFORCE OF THE FUTURE................................................................................................................. 33

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education ...................................................................................................... 33

The American Worker ............................................................................................................................................................. 35

PROMOTING & PROTECTING THE RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT.............................................................................................. 39

S&T DISCOVERY AND INNOVATION .......................................................................................................................................... 43

S&T Breakthroughs................................................................................................................................................................. 43

Advancing S&T Innovation ..................................................................................................................................................... 45

Other S&T Highlights .............................................................................................................................................................. 46

CONCLUDING LETTER................................................................................................................................................................ 51

REFERENCES............................................................................................................................................................................... 52
vi

“We look at tomorrow and see unlimited 

frontiers just waiting to be explored. Our

brightest discoveries are not yet known. 

Our most thrilling stories are not yet told. Our

grandest journeys are not yet made...”

Donald J. Trump

President of the United States
Advancing America’s Global Leadership in Science & Technology

1 

INTRODUCTION 

Over the past 75 years, America has positioned itself as the unquestioned global leader in science and 

technology (S&T). The foundation of our success is the ability of the Federal Government, private sector, 

academia, and nonprofits to not only make substantial investments in research and development 

(R&D)—an estimated total of $580 billion in 2018—but also to work in mutually complementary ways to 

generate the discoveries and innovations that fuel economic prosperity, enhance health and wellbeing,

and improve national security. 

Over the past four years, President Trump and the entire Administration have taken decisive action to 

help the Federal Government do its part in advancing America’s global S&T preeminence. The policies 

enacted and investments made by the Administration have equipped researchers, health professionals, 

and many others with the tools to tackle today’s challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and have 

prepared the Nation for whatever the future holds. 

In “Advancing America’s Global Leadership in Science and Technology: Trump Administration Highlights from the Trump Administration’s First Term: 2017-2020,” we document examples of key actions 

taken by The White House and Federal departments and agencies to accelerate the Nation’s S&T enterprise. We also illustrate the impact of these actions on the progress of S&T and, ultimately, the 

livelihood of the American people. 

Had space permitted, numerous other examples could have been included, reflecting the pioneering 

spirit and creative abilities of the women and men who dedicate their lives to the advancement of 

knowledge and the betterment of life for all.

“We hold the future of science in our hands and must ensure it 

inspires future generations, unites us locally and globally, and 

guides our way in challenging times that also are filled with 

amazing opportunities.”

Dr. Kelvin K. Droegemeier, Director, The White House Office of Science and 

Technology Policy
Trump Administration Highlights: 2017–2020

2

ACCELERATING AMERICAN LEADERSHIP IN THE 

INDUSTRIES OF THE FUTURE

Since inauguration in January 2017, the Trump Administration has recognized the profound importance of American 

leadership in the “Industries of the Future” (IotF), including 

artificial intelligence (AI), quantum information science 

(QIS), advanced communications/5G, advanced manufacturing, and biotechnology—as well as the future computing 

ecosystem that underpins advances in IotF and the autonomous and remotely piloted vehicles that are enabled by 

IotF. These industries promise to revolutionize the delivery 

of education and healthcare, transform transportation and 

the way we communicate, provide new tools and techniques to solve previously intractable problems, and ensure 

the Nation can compete and win in a rapidly changing 

global environment. 

In the summer of 2017, The White House held its first event 

on American Leadership in Emerging Technologies,1 gathering our Nation’s brightest academic minds and top industry 

leaders to discuss opportunities and challenges to advancing innovation. This kicked off an effort that has grown and 

accelerated since, leading to the development and execution of bipartisan legislation, national strategies, and 

Executive Branch actions and initiatives. 

Artificial Intelligence 

The Trump Administration recognizes AI as a key industry of 

the future. AI will support economic growth, strengthen national security, and help all Americans live longer, healthier, 

and happier lives. During the first term, the Trump Administration has taken numerous actions to fortify American 

leadership in AI. The Trump Administration has prioritized 

and delivered record amounts of AI R&D investment, facilitated Federal coordination and created a national strategy, 

led the development of the first intergovernmental statement on AI principles, issued the first-ever strategy for 

engagement in AI technical standards, published the firstever reporting of government-wide non-defense AI R&D 

spending, and released the first-ever U.S. AI regulatory 

document for the trustworthy use of AI technologies in the 

private sector. Collectively, the actions taken during the

Administration’s first term have laid the foundation for 

continued American global AI leadership for the years and 

decades ahead. 

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

Launching the American AI Initiative

In February 2019, President Trump signed the Executive 

Order on “Maintaining American Leadership in AI”, 

launching the Nation’s AI Strategy—the American AI 

Initiative.2 This strategy was informed by the May 2018 

White House Summit on AI for American Industry,

3 which 

brought together senior experts from across the United 

States to discuss policies needed to ensure American leadership in AI. This strategy includes several important pillars: 

prioritizing R&D investments in AI; strengthening AI infrastructure by making Federal data, models, and computing 

resources more available to trusted AI R&D experts; 

removing barriers to AI innovation by establishing guidance 

for AI regulation and governance; preparing the U.S. workforce with skills needed to adapt and thrive in the age of AI; 

and promoting an international environment that supports 

American AI research and innovation and opens markets for 

American AI industries. During the first year of the AI Initiative, the Administration made significant progress towards 

implementing the strategy as detailed in the “American AI 

Initiative: Year One Annual Report.”4

Developing a National Strategy for AI R&D

To ensure the Nation’s AI R&D investments remain at the 

forefront of technology, the Administration released the updated national strategy for AI R&D, “National AI R&D 

Strategic Plan: 2019 Update.”5 This plan defines eight key 

areas of priority focus for Federal agencies that invest in AI 

R&D, with a strong focus on long-term investments that 

“The United States is the proud home of the greatest technological breakthroughs the world has ever known, from creating the modern Internet to 

putting humans on the Moon. Emerging technologies will lead to transformative 

benefits for the American people in healthcare, communications, 

manufacturing, agriculture, transportation, security, and beyond.”

Michael Kratsios, Chief Technology Officer of the United States
Advancing America’s Global Leadership in Science & Technology

3 

drive future technological breakthroughs. Progress toward

advancing these R&D priority areas was documented in the 

“2016-2019 Progress Report: Advancing Artificial 

Intelligence R&D.” The progress report demonstrates the 

significant depth and breadth of Federal programs and investments focused on AI.6

Doubling R&D Spending in AI

As part of the Nation’s AI Strategy, the President prioritized

Federal R&D investment in AI for the first time in U.S. history.7 In 2019, President Trump committed to doubling QIS 

and nondefense AI R&D over two years.

8 This includes $1.5 

billion in the President’s FY 2021 Budgetfor AI—a 54 percent

increase over the President’s FY 2020 Budget. 

Tracking and Measuring Federal AI R&D investment

As called for in the American AI Initiative, starting with the 

FY 2020 Budget, agencies now annually report Federal 

investments in nondefense AI R&D through the “Networking 

and Information Technology Research and Development 

(NITRD) Program’s Supplement to the President’s 

Budget.”9,10 This new process provides an important mechanism and baseline for consistently tracking America’s 

prioritization of AI R&D investments going forward.

Launching AI Institutes

In August 2020, The White House, the National Science 

Foundation (NSF) and additional Federal partners 

announced $140 million in awards over five years to seven 

NSF-led AI Research Institutes.11 These collaborative 

research and education institutes will focus on a range of AI 

R&D areas, such as machine-learning (ML), synthetic manufacturing, precision agriculture, and forecasting prediction. 

Research will take place at universities around the country. 

NSF anticipates making additional AI Research Institute 

awards in the coming years, with more than $300 million in

total awards, including contributions from partner 

agencies, expected by next summer. Overall, NSF invests 

more than $500 million in AI activities annually and is the 

largest Federal driver of nondefense AI R&D.

Coordinating Federal Activities 

To ensure coordination and efficient use of taxpayer AI R&D 

dollars across the Federal Government, in May 2018, The 

White House chartered the Select Committee on Artificial 

Intelligence under the National Science and Technology 

Council (NSTC). The Select Committee identifies strategic 

opportunities for the Government to help advance AI 

research and partnerships. At the agency and department 

Caption:OSTP Director Kelvin Droegemeier, U.S. CTO Michael Kratsios, and other Administration officials join President Donald J. 

Trump for the signing of the Executive Order on Maintaining American Leadership in AI on February 11, 2019.

Credit: Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian
Trump Administration Highlights: 2017–2020

4

level, several new AI centers and offices have been established during the first term, including the Department of 

Defense (DoD) Joint AI Center (2018), the Department of 

Energy (DOE) AI and Technology Office (2019), the General 

Services Administration (GSA) AI Center of Excellence 

(2019), and the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) National 

AI Institute (2019). 

The White House also hosted the 2019 summit on “Artificial 

Intelligence in Government,” which brought together over 

175 leaders and experts from government, industry, and 

academia, to spark ideas for how the Federal Government 

can adopt AI to achieve its mission and improve services to 

the American people.12

Harnessing AI for National Defense

In February 2019, the DoD released its AI Strategy, which focuses on using AI to advance our Nation’s security and 

prosperity.13 The DoD AI Strategy defines the Joint AI Center 

as the focal point of DoD’s AI efforts,14 and outlines strategic 

aims in delivering AI-enabled capabilities for key missions; 

partnering with leading private sector technology companies, academia, and global allies; cultivating a leading AI 

workforce; and leading in military ethics and AI safety.

DoD’s work is having impact even beyond defense, demonstrated by the creation of the First Five Consortium in 

August 2020,15 which aims to use AI to mitigate the impact 

of natural disasters in the United States. In September 2018 

the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) 

launched the $2 billion AI Next Campaign to create the next 

wave of AI technologies that can adapt to changing situations and demonstrate increased robustness, reliability, 

security, performance, and applications.16

Promoting Federal Engagement in AI Technical 

Standards 

As directed by the American AI Initiative, in August 2019, the 

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 

issued the “Plan for Federal Engagement in Developing 

Technical Standards and Related Tools,” which reports on 

the current state, plans, challenges, and opportunities 

regarding the development of AI technical standards and 

related tools, and priority areas for Federal involvement.17

The Federal Government advances the development of 

technical standards and related tools in support of reliable, 

robust, trustworthy, secure, portable, and interoperable 

systems that use AI technologies. These activities ensure 

that technical standards for AI reflect Federal priorities for

innovation, public trust, and confidence.

Establishing U.S. AI Regulatory Principles

For American innovation to flourish, the Federal Government must remove barriers, streamline processes, and 

avoid imposing burdensome regulation. This is especially 

important for emerging and critical fields of S&T, including 

AI, where existing regulatory frameworks are often inadequate. In early 2020, The White House Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) issued a draft memorandum for public 

comment18 providing the first ever guidance to all Federal 

agencies to inform the development of regulatory and nonregulatory approaches to the use of AI in the private sector. 

The memorandum directs agencies to consider ways to reduce barriers to the development and adoption of AI 

technologies, consistent with the principles of free markets, 

federalism, and good regulatory practices. 

Regulatory Framework for AI Medical Devices

AI- and ML-based software has the potential to leverage vast 

amounts of data to provide earlier disease detection, more 

accurate diagnosis, and development of personalized diagnostics and therapeutics. In 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug 

Administration (FDA) published a draft regulatory framework focused on “software as a medical device” (SaMD) to 

ensure that AI- and ML-based software is safe and effective 

and that this emerging technology reaches patients and 

healthcare professionals.

Developing an IotF-ready American Workforce 

Our Nation’s continued leadership in AI, QIS, and the other 

Industries of the Future relies on leveraging our greatest 

resource—the American people.19 To build and prepare the 

American workforce of the future, the Trump 

Administration has placed important emphases on science, 

technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, Pell Grant reform, apprenticeships, and reskilling and 

upskilling opportunities. In addition to these efforts— 

described in detail in the “STEM Education and Workforce 

Development” section below—the Administration has targeted the development of an AI-ready workforce. President 

Trump directed all Federal departments and agencies to 

prioritize AI-related apprenticeship and job training programs and opportunities. NSF’s new National AI Research 

Institutes program will also contribute to workforce development. In addition, the President’s FY 2021 Budget 

invested $50 million at NSF on education and workforce 

Federal Agencies in Action: Using AI and Genomics to 

Improve Diagnostics

NIH researchers are proving that whole genome 

sequencing, combined with AI, can now be used to 

diagnose genetic diseases in seriously ill babies in less 

than 24 hours. By developing new technologies that 

streamline the approach and accelerate every step in the 

sequencing process, it is possible to obtain whole-genome test results faster than ever before. Combining 

this new sequencing methodology with ML methods 

that sift through all of the genomic data to search for 

potential disease-causing variants, and by integrating 

this data with a clinical language processing system, 

researchers could extract relevant information from the 

child’s electronic health records and reach a diagnosis 

in under 20 hours.
Advancing America’s Global Leadership in Science & Technology

5 

development for AI and QIS, with focused efforts in outreach to community colleges, Historically Black Colleges 

and Universities (HBCU), and Minority Serving Institutions.20

Promoting American AI Values on the World Stage

The Administration continues to advocate for the development of new AI technologies in a way that advances 

innovation, promotes public trust, protects civil liberties, 

and remains consistent with American values. In March 

2018, OSTP negotiated the 2018 G7 Innovation Ministers’ 

Statement on Artificial Intelligence, following an AI outcome document from the 2017 G7 innovation ministerial, 

which recognizes the importance of AI innovation for economic growth and supports efforts to promote trust in the 

adoption of AI technologies.21 

In May 2019, the United States led the development of the 

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development 

(OECD) AI Principles, which were adopted by 42 nations. 

These principles promote the trustworthy and innovative 

development of AI, and aim to ensure that AI systems are 

designed to be robust, safe, fair, and trustworthy.22 In June 

2020, the United States joined Australia, Canada, France, 

Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, 

and the European Union to create the Global Partnership on 

Artificial Intelligence (GPAI).23 GPAI is an international and 

multi stakeholder initiative to guide the responsible development and use of AI, grounded in human rights, inclusion, 

diversity, innovation, and economic growth.

In September 2020, the Trump Administration announced 

the signing of the Declaration of the United States and the 

United Kingdom on Cooperation in Artificial Intelligence 

Research and Development.24 The cooperation agreement 

between the two nations includes recommending priorities 

for future cooperation in R&D areas where each partner 

shares a strong common interest; coordinating the planning 

and programming of relevant research activities, including 

promoting researcher and student collaborations and 

public-private partnerships; and promoting R&D in AI focusing on fundamental advances and challenging technical 

issues such as explainability and fairness.

Quantum Information Science 

Like AI, QIS has the potential to enable new technologies 

and opportunities for the Nation. Researchers will be able 

to tackle previously unsolvable problems and explore new 

domains of communication, sensing, and computation. QIS 

will improve our industrial base, creating new jobs and 

entirely new industries in the process, while helping keep 

America safe. During the first term, the Trump 

Administration has taken numerous actions to realize the 

enormous potential of QIS. 

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

Signing the National Quantum Initiative Act 

In December 2018, the President signed the National Quantum Initiative Act (NQIA),

25 which established a National 

Quantum Coordination Office and authorized robust Federal funding for QIS R&D activities. This includes investing in 

quantum consortia—research centers where industry, 

government, non-profits, and academia can come together 

to advance QIS. 

“It’s critical the United States, guided by American 

values and powered by the American workforce, drives 

quantum innovation and discovery on the world 

stage.”

Michael Kratsios, U.S. Chief Technology Officer

Caption: U.S. CTO Michael Kratsios leads the U.S. delegation to 

the G7 Technology Ministerial in Paris, France, in May 2019.

Credit: G7 Presidency

Caption: President Donald J. Trump signs the National 

Quantum Initiative Act into law with Deputy Chief of Staff Chris 

Liddell, U.S. CTO Michael Kratsios, and Advisor to the President 

Ivanka Trump on December 21, 2018.

Credit: Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead
Trump Administration Highlights: 2017–2020

6

Establishing the National Quantum Coordination 

Office 

Following the December 2018 signing of the NQIA, in March 

2019, OSTP launched the National Quantum Coordination 

Office (NQCO) to coordinate the more than 13 different 

agencies working together on the National Quantum Initiative.26 The office works with stakeholders across the 

Government to ensure quantum R&D efforts enable strong 

American leadership in this industry of the future. With the 

signing of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in 

December 2019, the NQCO will also help coordination 

efforts for the defense and intelligence communities. By 

engaging across the public and private sector, the NQCO 

will help ensure that we can take full advantage of QIS and 

technology. 

Advancing National Strategies and Coordination

In September 2018, The White House convened the 

“Summit for Advancing American Leadership in Quantum 

Information Science.” Participants included 14 Federal 

agencies, Nobel Laureates, technical experts, international 

luminaries, university leaders, American business leaders, 

and renowned academics and researchers who are 

prioritizing QIS. The summit focused on taking a sciencefirst approach to QIS development, creating a quantumsmart workforce, and engaging with the innovative 

ecosystem surrounding QIS.27 Also in September 2018, the 

NSTC Subcommittee on Quantum Information Science published a strategic overview for QIS and established next 

policy steps for implementation.28 At the same time, NIST 

announced the creation of the Quantum Economic 

Development Consortium (QEDC). The QEDC is working to 

expand United States leadership in quantum research and 

support the growing industry in this important sector.29

In February 2020, the NQCO released “A Strategic Vision for 

America’s Quantum Networks” to encourage fundamental 

research on ways to link quantum computers and quantum 

sensors together.30 Recognizing that quantum networks will 

provide a platform with novel scientific and engineering 

capabilities, the strategic vision encourages researchers 

and entrepreneurs to explore new applications for quantum 

networks. The vision also prioritizes work on the foundational components and protocols that will be required to 

create and operate quantum networks.

Caption: U.S. CTO Michael Kratsios visits Fermi National Laboratory to learn more about the lab’s quantum research efforts.

Credit: OSTP
Advancing America’s Global Leadership in Science & Technology

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Quantum.gov and Quantum Frontiers

In October 2020, OSTP and the NQCO launched quantum.gov as the public presence of the National Quantum 

Initiative and national quantum coordination activities. The 

NQCO also released the “Quantum Frontiers” report”31 

developed with input from Federal, industry, and academic 

leaders to identify priority areas that need continued 

research to enable the full potential of QIS. This includes 

harnessing quantum information technology for precision 

measurements, targeting materials science, and understanding the universe through QIS. The report is intended to 

focus and organize the entire QIS research and industrial 

community around key questions in the years ahead.

Investing in QIS R&D Leadership

American leadership in quantum relies heavily on Federal 

investment in fundamental research and collaboration with 

industry and academic partners. To support this, President

Trump requested $435 million for quantum R&D in the FY 

2020 Budget. In 2019, the President committed to doubling 

QIS R&D by FY 2022.32 The FY 2021 Budget includes $700 million for QIS—a 50 percent increase over the FY 2020 Budget.

Launching QIS Institutes

In July 2020, The White House and NSF announced33 $75 

million for three new Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes 

designed to have a tangible effect in solving fundamental 

challenges in quantum information over the next five years.

In August 2020, The White House and DOE announced34 up 

to $625 million over five years to five QIS Research Centers 

that will be led by DOE National Laboratory teams at 

Argonne, Brookhaven, Fermi, Oak Ridge, and Lawrence 

Berkeley National Laboratories. Each Center will incorporate a collaborative, multi-institution research team. The 

private sector and academia will be providing another $300 

million in contributions for the centers. The centers will focus on a range of key QIS research topics including quantum 

networking, sensing, computing, and materials manufacturing. This critical, fundamental R&D will ensure our Nation 

has a strong foundation for the future of commercial QISenabled technologies.

Collaborating with International Partners 

In December 2019, the United States and the Government of 

Japan signed the Tokyo Statement on Quantum 

Cooperation35 in support of continued collaboration in R&D 

to advance quantum information science and technology 

(QIST) for economic, societal, and security benefits. The 

statement encourages increased engagement in QIST 

through international conferences and events; supports 

cooperative efforts to prepare the next generation of QIST 

scientists and engineers; and promotes the sharing of 

research methodologies, infrastructure, and data. 

Preparing Tomorrow’s Quantum Workforce

In May 2019, OSTP hosted The White House Academic 

Roundtable on Innovation in QIS to examine the 

development of quantum academic programs nationwide, 

supporting quantum research institutes, centers, and 

programs, and integrating quantum research into private 

sector endeavors.36 The roundtable gathered leaders from 

across the academic community, with representatives from 

women’s colleges and HBCUs joining representatives 

from State-wide systems and private institutions to discuss 

efficient, original ways to innovate and mutually support 

QIS efforts. In August 2020, the Administration, along with 

industry and academic leaders, launched the National Q-12 

Education Partnership to expand access to quantum 

education at the K-12 level.37 

In October 2020, NSF and OSTP hosted a Q-12 kick-off meeting to highlight the initiative, discuss quantum information 

science education, and provide information on the partnership to stakeholders across academia, government, 

industry, professional societies, and K-12 education. A 

working session of the partnership allowed participants to

exchange ideas, share information on current activities, and 

discuss goals. 

A Blueprint for the Quantum Internet

In July 2020, the DOE published a blueprint strategy for the development of a national quantum internet, bringing the 

United States to the forefront of the global quantum race and ushering in a new era of communications. Around the 

world, consensus is building that a system to communicate using quantum mechanics represents one of the most 

interesting technological frontiers of the 21st Century. Scientists now believe that the construction of a prototype will 

be within reach over the next decade. The DOE blueprint highlights essential research needs, describes the 

engineering and design barriers, and sets near-term goals.

In February 2020, scientists from DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Illinois, and the University of 

Chicago entangled photons across a 52-mile “quantum loop” in the Chicago suburbs, successfully establishing one of 

the longest land-based quantum networks in the Nation. That network will soon be connected to DOE’s Fermilab in 

Batavia, Illinois, establishing a three-node, 80-mile testbed.

Creating a quantum network testbed will require intense coordination among U.S. Federal departments and agencies—

including DOE, NSF, DOD, NIST, the National Security Agency, and NASA—along with National Laboratories, academic 

institutions, and industry.
Trump Administration Highlights: 2017–2020

8

Advanced Communications 

Networks & 5G 

There is a common thread that unites the future of agriculture, manufacturing, small business, education, and 

healthcare: every advance requires robust internet connectivity. The Trump Administration is committed to ensuring 

every American can participate in the 21st Century economy 

by expanding and improving access to high-speed broadband networks. Throughout the first term, the 

Administration has taken action to expedite the buildout of 

broadband internet in rural communities and streamline 

the deployment of secure 5G networks. 

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

Funding Rural Broadband Access

Since its launch in 2018, the U.S. Department of Agriculture 

(USDA) ReConnect Program has awarded nearly $750 million to support over 80 projects, which will benefit more 

than 430,000 rural residents in 34 States.

38 Across all of its 

rural broadband loans and grants programs, USDA has 

awarded $1.82 billion since 2017. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched a new $20.4 billion Rural 

Digital Opportunity Fund, the FCC’s biggest step yet to close 

the digital divide. The FCC estimates 5.3 million rural homes 

and businesses located in areas where 10.25 million 

unserved Americans live and work could benefit from the 

$16-billion Phase 1 of the program. The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund builds on the success of the Commission’s 2018 

Connect America Fund Phase II auction,39 which awarded 

$1.49 billion to provide broadband to more than 700,000 

unserved homes and small businesses in 45 states. The 

Commission also established a $9 billion 5G Fund for Rural 

America to ensure that rural communities see the benefits 

of next-generation wireless connectivity. 

“Secure 5G networks will absolutely be a vital link to 

America’s prosperity and national security in the 21st 

Century.”

Donald J. Trump, President of the United States

Caption: President Donald J. Trump listens as FCC Chairman Ajit Pai delivers remarks on U.S. 5G deployment technology on Friday, 

April 12, 2019, in The White House.

Credit:Official White House Photo by Tia Dufour
Advancing America’s Global Leadership in Science & Technology

9 

Establishing the American Broadband Initiative

The American Broadband Initiative (ABI) was launched in 

February 2019 with the release of its Milestones Report.40

ABI is the Administration’s strategy to increase access to 

rural broadband by removing barriers to investment and 

deployment of rural networks. ABI is driving change across 

the Federal Government in three key ways: 1) streamlining 

Federal permitting, 2) better leveraging of Federal assets 

that can be used for communications infrastructure, and 3) 

maximizing the effect of Federal funding to better target 

taxpayer dollars. More than 20 Federal agencies are 

involved with ABI, and The White House coordinates their 

efforts. In March 2020, GSA released a common form for 

industry to request access for building broadband and 5G 

infrastructure on Federal property, streamlining the process and significantly reducing the time to get permitting 

decisions.41 ABI builds on two Executive actions signed in 

January 201842 and continues to make significant progress 

towards increasing access to rural broadband.43 In addition, 

the FCC adopted two orders that lower costs and streamline 

the permitting processes for 5G infrastructure, as well as an 

order that streamlines the deployment of fiber.

Accelerating U.S. Leadership in 5G Spectrum

Advanced wireless communications networks rely on spectrum. To that end, the FCC has developed a comprehensive 

strategy to “Facilitate America’s Superiority in 5G 

Technology” (the “5G FAST Plan”),44 which includes pushing 

more spectrum into the marketplace. The FCC concluded 

three high-band spectrum auctions receiving over $10 billion in bids in these auctions.45 These auctions have made 

4,950 megahertz of millimeter-wave spectrum available for 

next-generation wireless services such as 5G. As a result, the 

United States currently leads the world in allocation and 

use of high-band spectrum. This spectrum provides incredibly fast speeds, low latency, and device density. 

In August, the FCC also concluded its first-ever mid-band 5G 

spectrum auction, auctioning 70 megahertz in the 3550-

3650 MHz band and raising over $4.5 billion. The larger 150 

megahertz of spectrum in the 3550-3700 MHz band is currently available for opportunistic “general authorized 

access” use. The existing equipment ecosystem for the 

band will allow winning bidders to quickly deploy services 

using this spectrum shortly after receiving their licenses. 

The agency will hold another mid-band auction for 280 

megahertz of spectrum in the 3700-3980 MHz band in 

December. Furthermore, the FCC has two mid-band auctions, including for the 3450-3550 MHz band, planned for 

next year. Combined, the FCC’s actions will place a 530-

megahertz swath of contiguous spectrum from 3450 MHz to 

3980 MHz into the 5G pipeline. 

On low-band spectrum, the FCC completed the multi-year 

transition process for broadcast television stations to relocate to new channels outside of the 600 MHz band. The FCC 

previously auctioned 70 megahertz of 600 MHz band spectrum for next-generation services, and this spectrum is now 

used to provide 5G network coverage to more than 250 million Americans. 

The FCC also opened up 1200 megahertz of mid-band spectrum in the 6 GHz band for unlicensed use, including Wi-Fi, 

and the Commission modernized the rules for the 4.9 GHz 

band to allow states to use the spectrum to support their 

particular connectivity needs, including rural broadband, 

critical infrastructure, and public safety. 

Protecting America’s Networks: National Strategy 

to Secure 5G

In March 2020, President Trump signed the “Secure 5G and 

Beyond Act”46 into law. The first deliverable was the 

“National Strategy to Secure 5G,”47 which the Administration delivered in March 2020. The goal of the strategy is for 

America to lead the development, deployment, and management of secure and reliable 5G communications 

infrastructure worldwide. This will be conducted arm-inarm with our closest partners and allies, and will include 

facilitating domestic 5G rollout, assessing the risks and 

identifying core security principles for 5G infrastructure, 

managing risks to our economic and national security from 

the use of 5G infrastructure; and promoting responsible 

global development and deployment of 5G infrastructure.

Improving Advanced Communications for All 

Americans: 5G Mid-Band Spectrum

In August 2020, The White House and DoD announced

that 100 megahertz (MHz) of contiguous mid-band 

spectrum in the 3450-3550 MHz band will be available 

for 5G. 

OSTP initiated and worked with the DoD and DoD

Service branches, the FCC, and the National 

Telecommunications and Information Administration 

to make available a valuable portion of mid-band spectrum without encumbrances while protecting critical 

security requirements.

In September 2020, the FCC adopted proposed rules for 

making the 3450-3550 MHz band available for commercial use, with the goal of conducting an auction for 

the spectrum in December 2021. The Administration is 

committed to working closely with industry to ensure 

timely access to the band while protecting national security.
Trump Administration Highlights: 2017–2020

10

Protecting America’s Networks with Supply Chain 

Cybersecurity

The Trump Administration continues to prioritize safe and 

secure 5G networks. In May 2019, President Trump signed 

an Executive Order banning the use of Information and 

Communications Technology (ICT) and services from vendors that are subject to adversarial government influence 

and that pose an undue risk to the Nation.48 In addition, the 

FCC passed the “Universal Service Fund Supply Chain 

Order,”49 notifying recipients of FCC Federal funds they may 

not use such funds to buy banned equipment and further 

explores the removal of such equipment. The Trump Administration also participated in the development of “The 

Prague Proposals,”50 a series of 5Gpolicy, technology, economy, and security recommendations for nations to consider 

as they design, construct, and administer their 5G infrastructure, including evaluating 5G equipment and services 

suppliers for specific risk characteristics. 

Prioritizing R&D in Wireless Communications

In May 2019, OSTP published the report, “Research and 

Development Priorities for American Leadership in Wireless 

Communications.”51 Efficient spectrum use and spectrum 

availability are fundamental to the Nation’s security and 

prosperity, requiring a “whole-spectrum solution” that 

encompasses and addresses scientific research, technology, policy, legislation, operations, and economics. This 

report identified three R&D priorities: improve spectrum 

flexibility, improve spectrum awareness, and improve efficiency and effectiveness through the use of AI. 

One milestone was the continued growth of the Platforms 

for Advanced Wireless Research (PAWR) program at NSF—a 

$100 million public-private partnership to establish national resources for researchers.52 PAWR’s successes 

include the activation of the Platform for Open Wireless 

Data-driven Experimental Research (POWDER) facility in 

Salt Lake City in November 2019. The Cloud Enhanced Open 

Software-Defined Mobile Wireless Testbed (COSMOS) facility in Harlem, New York started its pilot deployment in May 

2019.53 In 

September 2019, NSF announced its third PAWR testbed—

the Aerial Experimentation and Research Platform for 

Advanced Wireless (AERPAW).54 Based in North Carolina, 

AERPAW is focusing on communications for unmanned aerial systems. In July 2020, NSF announced planning grants 

for a rural broadband testbed in Nebraska and Iowa. Lastly, 

in August 2020, NSF awarded the initial planning grants for 

the Spectrum Innovation Initiative Center. This is a $30 million program to create a multi-university center of 

excellence in spectrum innovation research. 

Given the close coupling of AI and 5G, two of the seven 

themes in the above mentioned NSF National AI Research 

Institutes program focus on cyberinfrastructure and 

computer networks and systems.

DoD Technology Transfer

Another milestone was the successful completion of the 

DARPA Spectrum Collaboration Challenge (SC2), with winners announced in October 2019.55 In addition to advancing 

the state of the wireless art, the SC2 created the largest 

supercomputer specialized for wireless research. In 

November 2019, DARPA transferred the supercomputer to 

Northeastern University as part of the PAWR program for 

use as a national resource for researchers. In 2020, DoD 

awarded over $600 million in contracts for advanced 5G 

development to deploy advanced applications such as 

automated warehouses, vehicle maintenance, AR/VR for 

training, and spectrum sharing in hostile environments.

56

These testbeds will provide critical information to DoD, as 

well as create markets for the private sector, as these applications are applicable to all enterprises, not just defense.

Advanced Manufacturing 

Throughout his first term, President Trump has prioritized 

national security and economic prosperity through leadership in advanced manufacturing. In the midst of intense and 

growing global competition, The White House unveiled the 

“National Strategic Plan on Advanced Manufacturing” in 

October 2018.57 The strategy focuses on defending the 

economy, expanding manufacturing employment, and ensuring a strong manufacturing and defense industrial base 

and a resilient supply chain. The aim is to secure U.S. global 

leadership in advanced manufacturing by connecting 

people, ideas, and technology. Through Manufacturing USA 

Institutes, business competitors, academic institutions, and 

other stakeholders are working together to test 

applications of new technology, create new products, and

reduce cost and risk, as well as enabling a workforce with 

the skills of the future so that we can ensure that what is 

created here is made here by a well-trained American 

workforce. 

“Through clear-eyed economic and trade policies and 

advances made possible by cutting-edge research and 

development, American industry is thriving once 

again. Today, our country’s manufacturers are more 

confident than ever before about investing in factories 

and workers right here at home.”

Donald J. Trump, President of the United States
Advancing America’s Global Leadership in Science & Technology

11 

Advancing Manufacturing Skills in the Workforce

From providing training for veterans to advancing technologies developed in the National Labs, the Federal network 

of Manufacturing USA institutes convened stakeholders 

across the manufacturing community to address the Nation’s pressing manufacturing technology and 

competitiveness needs. Through 2018, the institutes 

engaged more than 1,300 member organizations, sponsored more than 270 R&D projects, attracted more than $2 

billion in private investment leveraging $1 billion in Federal 

funds, and equipped more than 200,000 people with advanced manufacturing skills needed to pursue high-paying 

jobs.58 

Driving Advancements to Realize the Potential of 

Additive Manufacturing

The DOE Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) at 

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has hosted over 

25,000 visitors in pursuit of state-of-the-art additive manufacturing technologies. Through over 130 Cooperative 

Research and Development Agreements, MDF collaborates 

with industry to develop advanced additive systems. Over 

35 systems, totaling more than $12 million—with $7 million 

in systems awaiting arrival—are in use at the MDF today.

Securing the Supply Chain for Critical Materials and 

Resouces for Advanced Manufacturing

Access to critical minerals is important to the development 

and manufacturing of many advanced technologies, and 

the Administration has made securing critical mineral supply chains, particularly rare earth materials, a priority. The 

Administration has directly addressed supply chain vulnerabilities for rare earth separation as well as neodymium iron 

boron rare earth permanent magnets production through

Executive Orders and several Presidential Determinations. 

In addition, the Trump Administration is working to establish domestic capacity for rare earth and other metal and 

metal alloy production. The ecosystems for rare earth 

materials—which are critical to U.S. economic and national 

security interests—are now taking shape, including a potential supply chain for aluminum-scandium alloys that are 

critical for automotive and aerospace applications. 

Advanced Manfacturing and COVID-19 

Through funding from DoD and NIST, the United States has 

mobilized several Advanced Manufacturing Institutes to 

develop tools and technologies to help fight the coronavirus 

pandemic through improvements in supply chain management and developing new, scalable manufacturing 

systems. Examples of these efforts are described in the 

“Health Security and Innovation” section of this report. 

Biotechnology 

The Trump Administration recognizes the boundless applications of biotechnology to support economic growth, 

national security, healthcare, manufacturing, and agriculture. To foster an environment of growth in this emerging 

field, the Trump Administration is reducing unnecessary 

regulations, breaking down barriers to entry into the market 

place, and improving global competitiveness. For additional health related S&T advancements, including COVID19-related highlights, see the next section on “Health Security and Innovation.” 

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: 

Modernizing Regulations for Biotechnology

In June 2019, President Trump signed an Executive Order to 

update and modernize the regulatory approval process for 

agricultural biotechnology products.59 Biotechnology innovations can help the Nation meet its food production needs, 

raise the productivity of the American farmer, improve crop 

and animal characteristics, increase the nutritional value of 

crop and animal products, and enhance food safety. To 

realize these potential benefits, the United States must employ a science-based regulatory system that evaluates 

products based on human health and safety and potential 

benefits and minimal risk to the environment. At the same 

time, the United States will continue its efforts to enhance 

America’s competitive advantage created through our innovation and biotechnological leadership to ensure our 

economic prosperity and security. 

Promoting Collaboration to Strengthen the 

American Bioeconomy 

In October 2019, The White House hosted the Summit on 

America’s Bioeconomy, bringing together Federal Government, industry, and academia to emphasize this critical 

sector’s role as an Industry of the Future and a national strategic R&D priority.

60 This event highlighted the 

Administration’s determination to drive innovation and 

economic growth by promoting and safeguarding critical 

“The American spirit of discovery has emboldened

scientific pioneers across sectors to integrate biology

with an amazing diversity of other fields, from

manufacturing to computer science, driving

biotechnology forward.” 

Donald J. Trump, President of the United States
Trump Administration Highlights: 2017–2020

12

bioeconomy infrastructure and data; building the

bioeconomy workforce of the future; leveraging the entire 

U.S. innovation ecosystem; and identifying regulatory 

opportunities and challenges. OSTP issued a Request for 

Information (RFI) to help identify gaps, vulnerabilities, and 

opportunities within the U.S. innovation bioeconomy ecosystem that may benefit from an enterprise perspective and 

Federal Government attention. In September 2020, NSTC 

established a new interagency Subcommittee on 

Bioeconomy S&T to improve coordination of Federallysupported R&D and transform U.S. technology capabilities 

across the American bioeconomy. 

Enabling Data Analytics for Biology and the

Environment

The DOE National Microbiome Data Collaborative (NMDC) 

was initiated in 2019 to develop an open-access capability 

for the analysis and interpretation of microbiome data for 

applications in energy, environment, health, and agriculture.61 The effort will leverage DOE’s high-performance 

computing systems to break through the existing bottleneck of genomics and environmental data. Capabilities 

provided by the NMDC will help address an Administration 

R&D priority to enable biotechnology, omics, scientific 

collections, biosecurity, and data analytics to drive growth 

in multiple economic sectors.

Caption: President Donald J. Trump is joined by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, members of Future 

Farmers of America, and local officials to sign an Executive Order on “Modernizing the Regulatory Framework for Agricultural 

Biotechnology Products” on June 11, 2019.

Credit: Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead

Federal Agencies in Action: NSF Encouraging the Next 

Generation of Biotechnology Professionals

NSF announced its support for applicants to engage 

high school students in the International Genetically 

Engineering Machine (iGEM) competition. NSF made 

its second set of awards in Advanced Technological Education (ATE) focused on partnerships between grades 

7-12, and 2-year Institutions of Higher Education in a

number of areas including biotechnology. NSF

continues to make awards that support biotechnology

through the NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Program. 

These are just a few examples of NSF’s support for the

entry of the next generation of students into the

bioeconomy workforce.
Advancing America’s Global Leadership in Science & Technology

13 

Enabled by IotF: Advanced 

Transportation 

American innovation and ingenuity have transformed numerous aspects of daily life, not the least of which is the 

ongoing revolution in how we travel and connect with one 

another. President Trump has stressed the importance of 

ensuring America’s continued leadership in IotF and related 

critical and emerging technologies, including Automated 

Vehicles (AVs). AV innovation has positioned the United 

States to once again transform the future of transportation, 

driving economic prosperity, and making our airways and 

roadways safer. Whether it is commercial drones, automated vehicles, or supersonic aircraft, the Trump 

Administration has continued to explore smart regulatory 

pathways and increased testing and development to usher 

in the future of transportation.

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: 

Increasing Commercial Drone Operation Safety

In December 2019 the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 

issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to require remote 

identification of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).62 This 

rule is a critical step forward to integrate commercial unmanned aircraft into the National Airspace System (NAS) 

and addresses the security and safety aspects of expanding

drone operations. Remote ID establishes the foundation for 

future Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) technology 

and creates the framework for drones to operate beyond 

visual line of sight. Furthermore, Federal departments and 

agencies are working together to develop air domain 

awareness (ADA) along with detect and avoid (DAA) systems 

for commercial and government use. These are key features 

required to enable safe industry growth.

Expanding Innovative and Potentially Life-saving 

Commercial Drone Operations

Thanks to the Trump Administration’s Drone Integration Pilot Program (IPP), the United States made historic 

advancements to expand commercial drone operations nationwide across many different sectors—from agriculture, 

to health care, to public safety. In October 2019, following 

testing and development through the IPP and with FAA 

authorization, UPS Flight Forward performed a historic, 

first-ever commercial drone operation as a Part 135 Air Carrier. In partnership with the FAA, North Carolina Department 

of Transportation, and a local hospital, the UPS team now 

delivers medical samples for testing, saving precious time 

to get life-saving information. During its first certified flight, 

the UPS team was proud to have an all-woman crew operating their aircraft. 

Advancing Civilian Supersonic Aircraft Technology

The Administration is continuing to advance civilian supersonic aircraft technology. In July 2019, the FAA issued a new 

proposed rule to modernize the procedure to test supersonic civilian aircraft, relieving a burdensome regulatory 

hurdle.63 NASA made significant progress with its latest 

manned X plane. The X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology 

(QueSST) aircraft was cleared for final assembly and systems integration.64 The QueSST’s unique shape is designed 

to reduce the “thump” heard when breaking the sound barrier. The data gained from the X-59 will provide 

policymakers the information required to establish a new 

commercial supersonic noise standard and eventually lift 

the ban on supersonic flight over land.65 

Enabling Advanced Air Mobility

Advanced aerial mobility marks what some describe as the 

third revolution in aerospace. This technology is 

characterized by the coalescence of autonomy, light electrical power systems, and advanced computing, 

manufacturing, and communication. This innovation in air 

vehicle design could enable missions in urban and other environments that are currently conducted by ground 

vehicles. Electric propulsion and increasingly automated 

flight may also improve safety, simplify maintenance and 

operation, lower noise and improve ease of use.66 To enable 

this transformation, NASA has launched their “National 

Campaign” (formerly “Grand Challenge”) bringing industry 

“Our Nation will move faster, fly higher, and soar 

proudly toward the next great chapter of American 

aviation.”

Donald J. Trump, President of the United States

Caption: U.S. CTO Michael Kratsios visits the Drone Integration 

Pilot Program site in Choctaw, OK. 

Credit: OSTP 
Trump Administration Highlights: 2017–2020

14

together for flight procedures and airspace control architecture.67 Complementing NASA, the U.S. Air Force launched 

Agility Prime focusing on operationalizing electric vertical 

take-off and landing aircraft or “ORBs” for manned and unmanned flight.

68 With over 15 small businesses seeking to fly

in the program, over $100 million of government investment, and over 200 R&D contracts to small businesses and 

universities all in the first year, it seeks to accelerate commercial investment in this sector. Early government 

adoption could quickly create a robust domestic market 

that ensures American aerospace dominance while maturing the safety and security of a new generation of mobility. 

Continued Testing for the Safe Integration of 

Automated Vehicles

In September 2019, the U.S. Department of Transportation 

(USDOT) announced $60 million in Federal grant funding69

to selected award recipients to test the safe integration of 

automated driving systems on our Nation’s roadways. 

These grants will gather significant safety data to inform 

rulemaking and foster collaboration among State and local 

governments and private partners. The funding will be 

distributed to eight projects across seven States.

Enabling IotF: Future Advanced 

Computing Ecosystem 

The United States is pioneering the future of computing to 

address the S&T challenges and opportunities of the 21st

Century. The Trump Administration continues to drive 

American leadership in the future advanced computing ecosystem through an increased focus on research and 

development, a broadening of the Nation’s computational 

infrastructure, and an expansion of partnerships across 

government, industry, and academia. 

Leading the World in Supercomputing

America continues to lead the world in high performance 

computing. Two of the four fastest supercomputers in the 

world reside at the DOE’s incredible National Laboratories—

Summit at ORNL and Sierra at Lawrence Livermore National 

Lab. Overall, four of the top ten fastest supercomputers are 

in the United States, including the NSF-funded Frontera system at the University of Texas at Austin. 

Updating the National Strategic Computing 

Initiative

In response to the evolving landscape for high performance 

computing, the Trump Administration updated the Nation’s 

strategic approach to the future of computing technologies

and applications.70 Using feedback from an RFI and a twoCaption: Summit, an IBM AC922 system supercomputer, links more than 27,000 NVIDIA Volta graphics processing units with more than 

9,000 IBM Power9 central processing units to provide unparalleled opportunities in integrating AI and scientific discovery. 

Credit: ORNL
Advancing America’s Global Leadership in Science & Technology

15 

day community of interest meeting, the new plan refocuses 

efforts on computing beyond the exascale effort, with an 

emphasis on supporting the software and workforce ecosystems around the future of computing. Additional 

modifications to the first “National Strategic Computing Initiative Strategic Plan” (2016) include engagement with 

emerging heterogeneous systems, deeper investment in 

support for infrastructure including data and architectures, 

and inclusion of cybersecurity recommendations for the 

high-performance computing community. Overall, the update promises to enable the future advanced computing

ecosystem to ensure American leadership in science, technology, and innovation.

Using High Performance Computers for Health Care

A collaboration between the DOE and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Cancer Institute (NCI) is 

accelerating the ability to derive knowledge from big data 

in cancer research. This is laying the foundation for the 

development of computational predictive models and simulations across the continuum of cancer, further 

strengthening the vision for precision oncology.71 This work

produced an AI application that was nominated for best 

paper at the 2019 Supercomputing Conference, with results 

to be published in the journal Science.

72 The application 

involved multiscale simulation on predictively modeling the 

dynamics of Ras proteins—a family of proteins whose 

mutations are linked to more than 30 percent of all human 

cancers—and their interactions with lipids, an important 

component of cell membranes. 

Achieving the First Exascale Systems

DOE announced it would deploy two exascale High Performance Computing (HPC) systems in 2021 and 2022.73 In 

preparation, the DOE’s Exascale Computing Project (ECP) is 

working towards the delivery and deployment of exascale 

software technologies.74 Meanwhile, its Summit supercomputer, the second fastest supercomputer in the world as of 

June 2020,

75 helped demonstrate quantum supremacy in a 

landmark effort with industry and NASA.76

Supporting the Nation’s S&T Research and 

Workforce

In 2019, NSF officially launched Frontera—currently the 8th

fastest computer in the world and the fastest academic 

supercomputer.77 NSF has begun the conceptual design of 

its Phase 2 computing facility, which will bring a 10-fold 

performance increase over Frontera. NSF has also awarded 

approximately $60 million to fund advanced computing 

efforts supporting research in training in science and 

high-performance analytics.

Harnessing Advanced Computing to Fight COVID-19

The White House, in partnerships with the DOE, NSF, and 

IBM, launched the COVID-19 HPC Consortium78 to help 

accelerate the pace of scientific discovery in the fight to stop 

the virus. Details about the HPC Consortium and other 

activities aimed at combating the COVID-19 pandemic are 

described below in the “Health Security and Innovation” 

section.
Trump Administration Highlights: 2017–2020

16

HEALTH SECURITY AND INNOVATION 

Strengthening and safeguarding the health and quality of life 

of individuals, families, and communities has been a consistent priority for the Trump Administration. The COVID-19 

pandemic has highlighted the extent to which public health 

threats and challenges can affect economic and national security while disrupting every aspect of our daily lives. The 

Administration is committed to focusing on policies, R&D investments, and whole-of-Nation initiatives that improve 

health now and in the future while building an economy that 

optimizes innovation to benefit the American people.

An S&T Enterprise-wide Fight 

Against COVID-19 

SARS-CoV2 and COVID-19 represent a generational challenge that can only be addressed through a whole-ofsociety approach. Since the start of the pandemic, President Trump has prioritized enabling and empowering 

industry, government, academia, and nonprofits to coordinate, collaborate, and partner to leverage resources and 

share expertise, data, knowledge, technology, and infrastructure to battle this “invisible enemy.” 

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: 

Providing Critical Support for R&D and Related 

Activities

Science is one of the strongest weapons that we have 

against this virus, which is why President Trump has enlisted our unrivaled research community in the fight. Since 

the start of the pandemic, the Administration has taken several actions to engage scientists in academia, industry, and 

government to understand and defeat this disease. In early 

March 2020, the President signed into law the “Coronavirus 

Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations 

Act,” which provided over $800 million dollars to NIH to accelerate vaccine efforts.79 

Later in March, President Trump signed the “Coronavirus 

Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.”80 The law 

provided another round of additional funding for NIH ($945 

million) and other science agencies to support the Federal 

response, including:81

 $415 million for DoD activities, including development 

of vaccines, anti-viral drugs, and diagnostic tests.

 $99.5 million for the DOE in support of access to DOE

scientific user facilities.

 $75 million for NSF.

 $66 million for NIST, including $10 million for the

National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals and $6 million for viral testing and

biomanufacturing measurement.

 $2.25 million for the Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA) to support research into environmental transmission of SARS-CoV2 via contaminated surfaces or

materials.

On April 24, 2020, President Trump signed the “Paycheck 

Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act.”82

The Act provided: 

 $1.8 billion to NIH to develop, validate, improve, and

implement testing and associated technologies; to

accelerate research, development, and implementation of point-of-care and other rapid testing; and for

partnerships with governmental and non-governmental entities to research, develop, and implement

the activities; and

“The knowledge and technologies brought to bear in the fight against COVID-19

will serve as the new foundation for the Nation’s response to whatever

challenge may come next, giving us extraordinary innovations and discoveries

that will provide the capabilities needed to maintain the health, safety, and

security of our Nation.”

Dr. Kelvin K. Droegemeier, Director, The White House Office of Science and 

Technology Policy
Advancing America’s Global Leadership in Science & Technology

17 

 $1 billion to the Biomedical Advanced Development

Authority (BARDA) for advanced research, development, manufacturing, production, and purchase of

diagnostic, serologic, or other COVID-19 tests or

related supplies.

Operation Warp Speed

President Trump initiated Operation Warp Speed (OWS) as 

part of a broader strategy to accelerate the development, 

manufacturing, and distribution of therapeutics and vaccines to combat COVID-19—all without compromising 

ethics, accountability, or safety. OWS is a partnership 

among components of the Department of Health and 

Human Services (HHS)—including the Centers for Disease 

Control and Prevention (CDC), NIH, and BARDA—and DoD, 

with the support of numerous Federal departments and 

agencies.

83 OWS aims to bring together government with industry and other stakeholders to deliver significant 

quantities of safe and effective countermeasures for COVID19. The need for a vaccine led the Administration to support 

an unprecedented synchronized development process over 

the more traditional sequential approach.

These parallel development activities seek to balance risk 

and benefit by enabling initial production at the time of approval, rather than building up production capacity after 

approval, a process that normally takes years to complete 

from start to finish. OWS has three components:84

 Vaccine development: HHS announced incremental

funding from March through August in support of vaccine production across industry, reflecting a variety of

platform approaches to a much-needed public-health

solution. The funding agreements intend to make one 

or more vaccines available for the United States as 

early as fall 2020. To date, several Phase 3 studies are 

already underway, with tens of thousands of participating volunteers.85

 Manufacturing: From May through August 2020, HHS

announced a number of task orders86 to advance

domestic manufacturing capabilities for a potential

COVID-19 vaccine and therapeutics, totaling hundreds 

of millions of dollars.

 Distribution: Between May and September 2020, HHS 

and DoD announced a joint effort to increase

domestic manufacturing capacity for and distribution

of prefilled syringes and vials that may be needed for

vaccines and treatments.

High Performance Computing Consortium

On March 23, 2020, The White House announced the launch 

of the COVID-19 HPC Consortium87 to provide COVID-19 researchers worldwide with access to the world’s most 

powerful high performance computing resources that can 

significantly advance the pace of scientific discovery in the 

fight to stop the virus. This unique public-private consortium, spearheaded by The White House, DOE, NSF, and IBM, 

includes government, industry, and academic leaders who 

have volunteered free compute time and resources on their 

machines. Researchers from every sector are matched with 

computing resources from one of the partner institutions. 

The sophisticated computing systems available through 

this Consortium can process massive numbers of calculations related to bioinformatics, epidemiology, and 

molecular modeling, helping scientists answer complex scientific questions about COVID-19 in hours or days instead of

weeks or months. To date, the consortium includes 43

members (with 7 international partners) aggregating approximately 600 Petaflops of computing power, and has 

supported over 90 projects as of October 2020. 

“Under the Trump Administration, the United States 

has regained its position as the dominant global 

force in Supercomputing technology. The 

Department of Energy is home to the world’s fastest 

and most powerful supercomputers, and we are 

excited to partner with leaders across the scientific 

community who will use our world class innovation 

and technology to combat COVID-19.” 

Dan Brouillette, Secretary, U.S. Department of 

Energy

Caption: Transmission electron micrograph of SARS-CoV-2 virus 

particles, isolated from a patient. Captured at the NIAID 

Integrated Research Facility in Fort Detrick, MD.

Credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH
Trump Administration Highlights: 2017–2020

18

Supporting the Fight Against COVID-19 with 

Advanced Manufacturing

With the support of NIST and DoD, several Advanced Manufacturing Institutes are developing tools and technologies 

to help fight the coronavirus pandemic through improvements in supply chain management and developing new, 

scalable manufacturing systems, new therapies, treatments, and drugs. Examples include: 

 National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL): NIIMBL is

applying innovations in biopharma to the challenges

of the pandemic by identifying and enhancing reliable 

domestic supply chains for testing and production of

respirators and personal protective equipment (PPE),

developing flexible manufacturing capabilities, validating approaches for rapid sanitization of clinical

spaces, developing contact tracing technology for

essential workers in pharmaceutical manufacturing

facilities, and building flexible manufacturing capabilities that allow quick scale-up of the production of

biologic therapies and essential medical products.

 BioFabUSA “Demand Forecasting Dashboard”:

BioFabUSA is developing a roadmap for pandemic response and recovery. The roadmap will identify and

prioritize critical needs including: supply chain issues

to enable increased production of personal protective

equipment, test kits, and vaccines through acceleration in manufacturing production of vaccines and

rapid delivery of resources to key locations.

 AIM Photonics “Rapid Photonic Point-of-Care or

Clinical COVID-19 Diagnostic”: This institute project will support manufacturing development and

testing of a new disposable photonic COVID-19 antibody test. Combined with a commercial high-volume 

clinical analyzer, this will result in a functional pointof-care test within facilities like hospitals that currently own these existing analyzers.

 BioFabUSA “Novel Drug Delivery System”: Deliver

lifesaving vaccines or drugs via mail, enabling U.S. citizens to accurately administer vaccines or drugs to

themselves. The project will develop a new drug delivery platform with: (1) microneedle technology, (2) an

easy manufacture/fill reservoir for vaccines/drugs,

and (3) an actuation method for administration according to protocol. Initial focus is intradermal

administration of COVID vaccines.

 BioFabUSA “High-Dimensional Design of

Experiments (HD-DOE)-Based Identification of 

Efficacious Antiviral Combinations Against Acute

Pulmonary Infections by COVID-19”: This institute

project will use an HD-DOE approach to conduct functional assays (e.g., viral titer, cell viability) with

combinations of more than 300 antiviral drugs to help 

identify a clinically potent antiviral combination 

against COVID-19.

 America Makes “Pandemic Additive 

Manufacturing Design Innovation Program”: This 

institute project is connecting the additive manufacturing industry with the medical care provider 

community, working closely with VA, to accelerate design and clinical review of 3D-printed PPE medical 

devices currently in short supply.

 Manufacturing x Digital (MxD) “Capacity and

Mobilization Assessment of Pharmaceutical

Industry Utilizing Digital Technologies to

Optimize Scale-Up Production”: This institute project will work to better understand supply-chain and

production gaps in our pharmaceutical industry and

demonstrate how advanced digital design and manufacturing technologies can expand U.S.

pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity.

Furthering International Engagement

Since the start of the pandemic, The White House has 

worked with the international community to leverage 

knowledge and resources in the fight against COVID-19. For 

example, in March 2020, OSTP initiated weekly calls with 

global science leaders including science ministers and chief 

science advisors to share information on integrating science 

into the COVID-19 response.88

Federal Agencies in Action: NIH Expanding COVID-19 

Testing for Underserved Communities 

In September 2020, NIH awarded nearly $234 million to 

improve COVID-19 testing for underserved and vulnerable populations. The RADx Underserved Populations 

(RADx-UP) program will support 32 institutions across 

the Nation, focusing on populations disproportionately 

affected by the pandemic. These groups include African 

Americans, American Indians/Alaskan Natives, Latinx, 

Native Hawaiians, older adults, pregnant women and 

those who are homeless or incarcerated.

Among the goals of the program is to develop strategies 

to reduce disparities in COVID-19 testing. To accomplish these goals in rapid fashion, the RADx-UP 

program is supporting projects with established community partnerships that can use their existing 

research infrastructures to swiftly implement strategies and interventions to increase access and uptake of 

COVID-19 testing among target populations.
Advancing America’s Global Leadership in Science & Technology

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In May 2020, OSTP hosted a virtual meeting of the G7 S&T

Ministers to collaborate on COVID-19 response and recovery. The G7 S&T Ministers emerged with a declaration,89

expressing their intent to:

 Strengthen the use of HPC for COVID-19 response and

enhance cooperation on ongoing initiatives, such as

the COVID-19 HPC Consortium, the Partnership for Advance Computing in Europe (PRACE), and the High

Performance Computing Infrastructure in Japan.

 Make government-sponsored COVID-19 epidemiological and related research data and information

accessible to the public in machine-readable formats,

to the extent possible.

 Exchange best practices to advance broadband connectivity; minimize workforce disruptions, support

distance learning and working; enable access to smart 

health systems, virtual care, and telehealth services;

promote job upskilling and reskilling programs to prepare the workforce; and support global social and

economic recovery, in an inclusive manner while promoting data protection, privacy, and security.

 Enhance cooperation on shared COVID-19 research

priority areas.

 Launch GPAI (described above) to enhance multistakeholder cooperation to advance AI in a manner

that reflects shared democratic values, with an initial

focus on COVID-19.

Preparing for Biological Threats

Even before the start of the pandemic, the Administration 

took steps to prepare for and mitigate biological threats. 

For example, in the fall of 2019, the President signed an Executive Order to modernize the vaccine approach to 

counter influenza.90 The Executive Order encouraged public-private partnerships to strengthen and diversify vaccine 

development, manufacturing, and supply chain; promote 

innovative technological approaches for detecting, preventing, and treating influenza; and increase vaccine access 

and coverage regulations. Under the President’s watch,

BARDA achieved a historic milestone in global health security with the approval of ERVEBO, the first FDA-approved 

vaccine for the prevention of the Ebola virus disease.91 

Leveraging Data in the Fight Against COVID-19

Improving data access, discoverability, and usability has been a key priority of the Trump Administration since day one. 

The President’s Management Agenda, Federal Data Strategy, and NSTC Subcommittee on Open Science have contributed to making information and data available in a way that respects security and privacy. These initiatives combined 

with S&T R&D investments have improved our ability to use massive amounts of information to advance discovery and 

innovation, inform decision-making, and improve U.S. Government services. 

No better example of the importance of data exists than in the fight against COVID-19. In a pandemic, every moment 

counts; scientists, health professionals, and the public urgently need access to data and information, often in near realtime. The Administration has taken additional actions to maximally leverage data during the pandemic. 

 In March 2020, OSTP led a group of 16 countries in issuing a call to the scholarly publications community to voluntarily make their COVID-19 and coronavirus-related publications, and the available data supporting them,

immediately accessible in public repositories to support emergency response efforts. The countries urged publishers to make the information available in human and machine-readable formats to allow for full text and data

mining using AI with rights accorded for research re-use and secondary analysis. 

 At the same time, The White House led a group of top researchers and leaders from the Allen Institute for AI, Chan 

Zuckerberg Initiative, Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, Microsoft, and NIH 

to release the COVID-19 Open Research Dataset (CORD-19) of scholarly literature about COVID-19, SARS-CoV2, 

and the coronavirus family. The dataset represents the most extensive machine-readable coronavirus literature

collection available for data and text mining to date. Following the release of CORD-19, the Administration issued 

a call to action to the Nation’s AI community to develop new text and data mining techniques that can help the

science community answer high-priority scientific questions related to COVID-19.

 Under President Trump’s leadership, Federal departments and agencies are gathering and making available

COVID-19-related data. For example, the HHS Protect Public Data Hub provides high-quality, accessible, and

timely information for entrepreneurs, researchers, and policy makers to help drive insights and better health outcomes for all. This site augments Healthdata.gov with non-government datasets from academia, non-profit 

organizations, industry, hospitals, and facilities reporting from all 50 states and U.S. territories. HHS Protect also 

provides predictive outcome capabilities through AI, which informs predictions on the locations of outbreaks and 

decision-making about distributing supplies.
Trump Administration Highlights: 2017–2020

20

Today, the Trump Administration is continuing its response 

not only to the pandemic, but also preparing for future biological threats. In the FY 2022 R&D Budget Priorities 

Memorandum,

92 The White House highlighted “Health Security and Innovation,” and designated infectious disease 

modeling, prediction, and forecasting as a top R&D priority.

R&D in this area will enhance our ability to predict future 

pandemics by continuing to advance data and forecasting 

science to inform a more streamlined, better coordinated, 

and continual whole-of-society approach to addressing future infectious disease outbreaks. 

As a first step in executing this R&D priority, NSF, CDC, and 

the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity 

(IARPA)—in coordination with OSTP—are actively engaging 

with stakeholders on the science and technology of 

epidemiological modeling and prediction. The goal of these 

efforts are to maximize America’s ability to respond to 

infectious disease outbreaks as well as threats posed by the 

intentional release of biological agents, with a focus on 

improving capacity and capability in epidemiological 

modeling and prediction. 

Combating the Opioid Epidemic 

The opioid crisis has had devastating effects on communities across the United States. The Trump Administration 

recognizes that S&T is an important facet of a comprehensive approach to combatting the epidemic and has taken 

strong action to address the situation. 

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: 

Addressing Critical Gaps in R&D for Opioids

In April 2019, as part of the strategy to combat America’s crisis of addiction, NIH funded the $350 million multi-year 

HEALing Communities Study to reduce opioid related 

Caption: OSTP Director Kelvin Droegemeier joins the Biodefense Steering Committee in support of the 2018 National Biodefense 

Strategy at The White House in September 2020.

Credit:Official White House Photo by Tia Dufour

“My administration is determined to use every

resource at our disposal to smash the grip of addiction. 

In October 2017, my administration declared a nationwide public health emergency, directing agencies to 

use every resource in their arsenal to overcome the 

deadly plague of opioid abuse.”

President Donald J. Trump, President of the United 

States
Advancing America’s Global Leadership in Science & Technology

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deaths by 40 percent over three years and generate a blueprint for communities to follow nationwide. 93 In October

2019, The White House released the report “Health R&D to 

Stem the Opioid Crisis: A National Roadmap.”94 The National Roadmap supports President Trump’s response to 

the opioid crisis by providing a framework for the next chapter in combating opioid addiction and identifying 

opportunities to improve coordination of Federal R&D essential to combating the opioid crisis.95 

Reducing the Lives Lost to Opioid Overdose

The Trump Administration announced $1.8 billion in funding for States and territories to expand access to treatment 

and support real-time data through work by CDC and the

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in September.96 These funds provide 

additional support on top of $400 million in funding through 

the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to 

help community health centers, rural organizations, and academic institutions establish and expand access to 

substance abuse and mental health services in August.97

In October 2019, SAMHSA launched FindTreatment.gov, a 

newly designed website that helps connect Americans looking for substance abuse treatment with approximately 

13,000 locations across the United States and its territories.98 In 2019, estimates suggested 1.27 million Americans 

received medication-assisted treatment, a 38 percent increase from an estimated 921,000 Americans in 2016.

Improving the Health of U.S. 

Military Veterans 

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: 

Addressing Veteran Suicide

In March 2019, President Trump signed an Executive Order 

on the President’s Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End 

a National Tragedy of Suicide—the PREVENTS initiative.99

The Executive Order established a task force comprising numerous White House offices and Executive Branch 

departments and agencies.

100 In September 2019, The White 

House hosted a summit on “Veteran Suicide: Translating 

Caption: OSTP Director Kelvin Droegemeier participates in a meeting of The White House Task Force on Veteran Suicide inOctober 2019.

Credit: Alvin Williams, VA

“We will not rest until all of America’s great Veterans

receive the care they’ve earned through their

incredible service and sacrifice to our country.” 

Donald J. Trump, President of the United States
Trump Administration Highlights: 2017–2020

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Research Innovation into Public Health Solutions.” The 

summit brought together over 125 researchers, clinicians, 

innovators, and decision-makers from inside and outside of 

government to discuss novel research mechanisms or results that have the potential to generate public health 

solutions to end suicide. 

In June 2020, the PREVENTS task force developed and publicly released101 a comprehensive public health roadmap for 

helping Veterans pursue an improved quality of life and 

ending the national tragedy of Veteran suicide. The 

roadmap includes a “National Research Strategy.” The 

strategy takes a broad public health approach to investigate 

and understand the dynamic nature and inherent complexity of factors associated with enhanced suicide risk, the 

onset of suicidal behaviors, and opportunities for intervention long before the individual is at greatest risk for selfharm. The strategy puts forth two goals: (1) promote individualized approaches to suicide prevention and treatment; 

and (2) enhance the research ecosystem by accelerating the 

development and implementation of scientific discovery 

through shared data sets, innovative policy, novel funding 

mechanisms, and structural changes, supporting team science and reproducibility.102

Leveraging Communications Technology to Improve 

Veterans’ Health

Besides strides made in telemedicine, the FCC passed rules 

establishing 9-8-8 as a nationwide number for Veterans and 

citizens to access suicide helpline services.103 In cooperation with the VA and SAMHSA, this national resource for 

suicide prevention is expected to make it easier to connect 

with this life saving resource. 

Leveraging Big Data to Improve Veterans’ Health

In May 2017, the VA and DOE announced a partnership to 

advance innovation and transform health care delivery for 

Veterans.104 The partnership brings together world leading 

capabilities and resources of each agency to conduct datadriven research by leveraging VA’s data on about 24 million 

Veterans who sought care within in the VA over the last two

decades—including nearly 600,000 Veterans who volunteered their genomic and lifestyle data—and DOE’s world 

class HPC capabilities and AI and data analytics expertise. 

Caption: President Donald J. Trump signs an Executive Order for a “National Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National 

Tragedy of Suicide” (PREVENTS). 

Credit: Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian
Advancing America’s Global Leadership in Science & Technology

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At the center of the partnership is MVP CHAMPION (Million 

Veterans Program Computational Health Analytics for Medical Precision to Improve Outcomes Now). Under MVP 

CHAMPION, VA and DOE have established a secure scientific 

computing environment that provides researchers with access to MVP data and promotes transformational science 

and innovation.105 MVP CHAMPION projects span various 

topics including cardiovascular disease, prostate cancer, 

polypharmacy, mental health, and suicide.
Trump Administration Highlights: 2017–2020

24

ENHANCING AMERICAN SECURITY 

With a wide range of threats intensifying in recent years, advances in S&T are increasingly vital to equip our Armed 

Forces and to protect the American people, the homeland, 

and the American way of life. Advancements have furthered 

our understanding of the nature of threats and developed 

strategies and mitigation measures to counter them. To 

maintain our competitive advantage, the United States is 

prioritizing emerging technologies critical to security.

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: 

Established a National Strategy for Critical and 

Emerging Technologies

In September 2020, the Administration released its first integrated “National Strategy for Critical and Emerging 

Technology” (C&ET).106 Led by the National Security Council 

(NSC) staff, and in coordination with OSTP and Federal departments and agencies, the strategy articulates a wholeof-government approach to promoting the National Security Innovation Base while protecting key critical and 

emerging technologies from competitors and adversaries 

that seek to gain advantage through illicit technology transfer at the expense of the United States and its allies and 

partners. Additionally, the National Strategy defines key 

critical and emerging technology areas, as identified by the 

interagency, that enable national security and economic 

advantage now and in the future. 

Establishing DoD Modernization Priorities

In January 2018, the DoD released the “2018 National Defense Strategy,”107 which observed that the security 

environment is affected by rapid technological advancements and that “[w]e cannot expect success fighting 

tomorrow’s conflicts with yesterday’s weapons or equipment.” The Strategy committed to “invest in modernization 

of key capabilities” and in “technologies that ensure we will 

be able to fight and win the wars of the future.” The has DoD 

established 11 such modernization priorities—AI; biotechnology; autonomy; cyber; directed energy; fully networked 

command, control, and communications; microelectronics; 

quantum science; hypersonics; space; and 5G—and designated for each a principal director to develop and lead a 

DoD-wide, mission focused roadmap to deliver the technical capabilities needed by America’s warfighters.108 

Developing Hypersonics 

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) completed the evaluation 

of industry-proposed hypersonic defense weapon system 

designs and selected those with the highest potential for 

further concept refinement, continued technical design 

maturation, and detailed modeling and simulation.109 MDA 

revealed a new hypersonic defense program, the Regional 

Glide Phase Weapon System prototype development program, which focuses on demonstrating the effectiveness of 

key technologies and capabilities for an interceptor design 

leading to a flight test experiment in the near future.110 In 

parallel, MDA awarded eight hypersonic defense component technologies contracts to industry for the maturation 

of key technologies in support of hypersonic defense.

“Our government's first duty is to its people, to our citizens—to serve their 

needs, to ensure their safety, to preserve their rights, and to defend their values.”

Donald J. Trump, President of the United States

Advancing Hypersonic Defense 

The Trump Administration is investing in R&D to

deliver advanced military capabilities necessary for 

meeting emerging threats and protecting American

security in the future, including offensive and defensive hypersonic weapons capabilities. 

To accelerate the development and fielding of weapon 

system prototypes, the DoD has seen a ten-fold 

increase in investment in hypersonics compared to 

2016 funding levels. In addition, flight testing has increased dramatically from one test every two years to 

approximately 10 flights per year. 

Caption: Future hypersonic missiles such as this one conceived 

by one of the MDA’s potential bidders for its Hypersonic 

Defense Weapon System program, are key for the Nation’s 

defense capabilities. 

Credit: Raytheon
Advancing America’s Global Leadership in Science & Technology

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Enhancing Capabilities for Tracking Advanced 

Missile Threats

In October 2020, the Space Development Agency announced that two companies won bids to help build out an 

enhanced tracking layer for the National Defense Space Architecture.111 Under these contracts, each company will 

contribute four overhead persistent infrared tracking (OPIR) 

satellites to provide tracking data for hypersonic glide vehicles and the next generation of advanced missile threats. 

Investing in Biotechnology 

Recognizing the importance of biotechnology to U.S. economic and national security, the DoD named biotechnology 

a modernization priority in 2019 and is prioritizing and investing in this critical area. For example, in 2020, the DoD 

launched a competition for a Bioindustrial Manufacturing 

Innovation Institute to support development of bioindustrial manufacturing technology.112 In September 2020, the 

DOD hosted its first STEM and Biotechnology Virtual Seminar, as part of an increased focus of DoD STEM efforts on 

biotechnology aimed at helping to enable breakthrough capabilities spanning medicine, chem-bio defense, new 

materials, and advanced manufacturing.113

Strengthening the Nation’s Cybersecurity

Through the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security 

Agency and the National Risk Management Center (NRMC), 

the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) partnered 

with critical infrastructure stakeholders to identify and mitigate risks to emerging technologies; forming an 

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Supply 

Chain Task Force114 that brought government and industry 

together to address supply chain and vendor risks to 5G and 

other technology innovations. 

NSA released its software reverse-engineering framework, 

Ghidra, as an open source project.115 With over half a million 

downloads, Ghidra has been hailed as a game changer and 

has already launched commercial training programs and influenced curricula. The government continues to accrue 

benefit through Ghidra features and capabilities submitted 

by the open-source community. Ghidra was recognized 

with an R&D 100 Award, which honors the best innovations 

and technologies of the year.

Caption: U.S. CTO Michael Kratsios joins Trump Administration officials for an important conversation in January 2020 with 

government, industry, and first responders on using AI to improve capabilities. 

Credit: OSTP
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Coordinating National Resilience to 

Electromagnetic Pulses

In March 2019, President Trump signed an Executive Order 

that established the first ever comprehensive national policy on building resilience to electromagnetic pulse (EMP) 

events.116 The Executive Order identifies Federal activity 

critical to EMP security and encourages private sector engagement to foster sustainable, risk-based, and costeffective approaches that will better protect the Nation’s 

critical technology and infrastructure from EMP effects. As 

part of the implementation of this Executive Order, the 

NSTC coordinated development of, and in June 2020, released a report on, “Research and Development Needs for 

Improving Resilience to Electromagnetic Pulses.”117 Additionally in September 2020, the NOAA Space Weather 

Prediction Center, in collaboration with the U.S. Geological 

Survey (USGS), announced the release of enhanced, operational, near-real-time geoelectric field maps of the United 

States that use an improved description of Earth conductivity to provide a more accurate estimate of geoelectric field 

and currents induced by EMP events.118 

Defending the Nation from Nuclear and 

Radiological Attacks

The Trump Administration is applying S&T to enhance 

America’s capabilities for preventing and defending against 

nuclear and radiological attacks. In December, the NSTC released the “Nuclear Defense Research and Development 

Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2020-2024.”119 This plan identifies R&D priorities to help achieve policy objectives in five 

mutually-reinforcing elements of America’s overall nuclear 

defense posture. Implementing this plan will strengthen 

America’s overall nuclear defense posture, ensuring that we 

are taking steps today to prepare the Nation to avert or 

meet the threats of tomorrow.

Caption: U.S. CTO and Acting Under Secretary of Defense for 

Research and Engineering Michael Kratsios discusses the 

DoD's modernization priorities.

Credit: DoD
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EXPLORING, PRESERVING, & PROTECTING OUR OCEANS 

“We cherish our magnificent land and waterways, abundant natural resources, and 

unique wildlife. As a Nation, it is our duty to recognize the importance of these life 

sustaining gifts, and it is our responsibility to protect them for our own benefit and 

that of generations to come.”

Donald J. Trump, President of the United States

The Trump Administration recognizes the importance of 

ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes waters to the economy, national security, and the environment. Together, our oceans 

and Great Lakes support maritime commerce, domestic 

seafood production, healthy and sustainable fisheries, 

coastal resilience, energy production, tourism and recreation, environmental protection, national and homeland 

security, and other interests. These activities contribute 

more than $300 billion per year of economic activity, 2.3 million jobs, and $162 billion in wages.120 Developing new and 

innovative ways to conserve, manage, and ensure the balanced use of these waters will safeguard American health, 

prosperity, and security. 

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: 

Promoting the Ocean Economy, Ocean Security, and 

Ocean Environment

In June 2018, President Trump signed an Executive Order 

“Regarding the Ocean Policy to Advance the Economic, Security, and Environmental Interests of the United States.”121

The policy establishes an interagency Ocean Policy Committee (OPC) to streamline Federal coordination, empowers 

States and territories through Federal engagement with regional ocean partnerships, and focuses on growing the 

ocean economy, prioritizing S&T research, coordinating

resources and data sharing, and engaging with stakeholders.122

Ensuring United States Leadership in Ocean S&T 

In 2018, the Administration also released a 10-year plan 

identifying pressing research needs and a decadal vision for 

an innovative and collaborative ocean S&T enterprise that 

promotes American security and prosperity while conserving the marine environment for present and future 

generations.123 In addition to five overarching goals, the 

plan identifies areas of immediate opportunity and action, 

Caption: OSTP Director Kelvin Droegemeier and former NSF 

Director France Córdova participate in “The White House 

Summit on Partnerships in Ocean S&T” November 2019.

Credit: Department of Energy

Federal Agencies in Action: Defining our Marine 

Critical Minerals Resources

In response to the 2019 Executive Order on a Federal 

Strategy to Ensure Reliable Supply of Critical Minerals, 

U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Bureau of Ocean 

Energy Management (BOEM), the National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have partnered to develop joint 

strategies to explore and characterize the critical marine mineral wealth of the U.S. interagency efforts 

initiated in 2019, including planning for a 2020 research expedition to map and characterize the mineral 

deposits and sensitive marine habitats along the Escanaba Trough offshore Northern California and 

Southern Oregon. This area includes hydrothermal sulfide deposits that contain critical minerals of unknown 

economic potential. 

BOEM and USGS are working together to evaluate the 

marine mineral resources of the Outer Continental 

Shelf offshore Alaska. USGS will synthesize oceanographic and marine geologic data to create regional 

permissive region marine mineral maps to help prioritize Federal and private sector exploration for critical 

minerals, including possible ferromanganese crusts on 

the Chukchi Plateau, manganese nodules in the Canada 

Basin (north of the North Slope of Alaska), and seafloor 

massive sulfides and hydrothermal oxides along the 

Aleutian Arc. 
Trump Administration Highlights: 2017–2020

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which include integrating big data approaches in Earth system science, advancing monitoring and predictive 

modeling capabilities, improving data integration in decision-support tools, supporting ocean exploration and 

characterization, and supporting ongoing partnerships.

Advancing Knowledge of America’s Ocean, Coastal, 

and Great Lakes Resources

In November 2019, President Trump signed a Presidential 

Memorandum directing the OPC to coordinate the development of a national strategy for mapping, exploring, and 

characterizing the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

124

This ocean area, which extends 200 miles from land and is 

equal in size to the landmass of the continental United 

States, has never been comprehensively mapped or systematically explored and researched. 

The June 2020 “National Strategy for Mapping, Exploring, 

and Characterizing the United States EEZ,” establishes five

goals that will guide comprehensive and systematic mapping of the region, exploring and characterizing priority 

areas, developing and employing new science and technologies, and building public and private partnerships to 

support all aspects of the enterprise.125

Supporting the Economy and Security of Alaska 

The Presidential Memorandum also directs NOAA to coordinate the development of a strategy to map the shoreline 

and nearshore of Arctic and sub-Arctic Alaska.126 The strategy, developed in coordination with the State of Alaska, 

other Federal agencies, native Alaskans, and other stakeholders, will guide a mapping program that will enhance 

resource management and the safety and security of 

coastal residents.

Building Partnerships to Ensure U.S. Leadership in 

Ocean S&T

In November 2019, OSTP and The White House Council on 

Environmental Quality hosted The White House Summit on 

Partnerships in Ocean Science and Technology, which 

brought together over 100 leaders and experts from philanthropy, the private sector, academia, and the Federal 

Government to identify opportunities for partnerships to 

develop and employ S&T that promote American security 

and prosperity while conserving the marine environment 

for present and future generations.127

Caption: BOEM archaeologist and pilot prepare for a submersival dive. 

Credit: NOAA 
Advancing America’s Global Leadership in Science & Technology

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PROMOTING SPACE LEADERSHIP 

This time, we will not only plant our flag and leave our footprint, we will establish 

a foundation for an eventual mission to Mars and perhaps, someday, to many 

worlds beyond.

Donald J. Trump, President of the United States

More than fifty years after Apollo 11 landed on the moon, 

our Nation stands yet again at another precipice for space 

exploration. During the first term, the Trump Administration 

has made the investments and enacted the policies necessary to realize this goal.

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

Reviving the National Space Council

In June 2017, the President issued an Executive Order on 

“Reviving the National Space Council,”128 to provide a coordinated process for developing and monitoring the 

implementation of national space policy and strategy. The 

Council was established in 1989 and never formally disestablished, but it effectively ceased operation in 1993. The 

revived Council is chaired by the Vice President, and is 

tasked with advising and assisting the President regarding 

national space policy and strategy.

Venturing from the Moon to Mars

In December 2017, the President directed NASA to embark 

on a journey back to the Moon.129 The Artemis program aims 

to send the first American woman and the next American 

man back to the lunar surface by 2024 and establish a sustained human presence on the surface to prepare for the 

first human mission to Mars.130, 131 S&T progress in Artemis 

includes the building of spaceflight hardware and breakthroughs in studies and tests of relevant instruments.

132

Increased cooperation between the Federal Government, 

the U.S. commercial aerospace industry, and international 

partnerships, with bipartisan support from Congress, has 

been critical to achieving this progress. In April 2020, NASA 

awarded contracts to three different U.S. commercial space 

companies—Blue Origin, Dynetics, and SpaceX—for the first

crewed lunar lander in over 50 years. These teams, each 

with their own innovative designs, will compete for the 

award to land the next Americans on the lunar surface in 

2024. The remarkable progress in Artemis is paving the way 

for the U.S. Government and its partners to take the courageous leap from the Moon to Mars.

Continuing to Lead in Space Exploration 

In 2019, America continued to lead in space exploration, 

with five astronauts from NASA’s 2013 class participating in 

their first spacewalk at the International Space Station.133

On October 18, 2019, two of those astronauts, Christina 

Koch and Jessica Meir, successfully completed the first allwoman spacewalk, an important milestone for the space 

program.134 Koch and her colleague, Andrew Morgan, participated in extended space missions to study human 

response to spaceflight over long periods of exposure.135

The SpaceX Crew Dragon Launch 

On May 30, 2020, for the first time in history, NASA astronauts launched from American soil in a commercially-built 

and operated American crew spacecraft, on its way to the 

International Space Station. The first crewed launch of 

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, the SpaceX Crew 

Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Robert 

Behnken and Douglas Hurley, lifted off at 3:22 p.m. EDT on 

the company’s Falcon 9 rocket at NASA’s Kennedy Space 

Center in Florida. Known as NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2, the 

mission was an end-to-end test flight to validate the SpaceX 

crew transportation system, including launch, in-orbit, 

docking, and landing operations. The program demonstrates NASA’s commitment to investing in commercial 

companies through public-private partnerships and builds 

on the success of American companies, including SpaceX, 

already delivering cargo to the space station.136

“Today a new era in human spaceflight begins as we 

once again launched American astronauts on

American rockets from American soil on their way to 

the International Space Station, our national lab

orbiting Earth...The launch of this commercial space 

system designed for humans is a phenomenal

demonstration of American excellence and is an

important step on our path to expand human 

exploration to the Moon and Mars.”

Jim Bridenstine, Administrator, NASA
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Reaching New Frontiers in Robotic Exploration of 

the Solar System 

The Perseverance Rover is now on its way to Mars.137 It 

launched on July 30, 2020, on an Atlas V-541 rocket from 

Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover 

will search for signs of ancient microbial life, which will advance NASA’s quest to explore the past habitability of Mars. 

The rover incorporates a drill to collect core samples of Martian rock and soil, then stores them in sealed tubes for 

pickup by a future mission that would ferry them back to 

Earth for detailed analysis. Perseverance will also test technologies to help pave the way for human exploration of 

Mars. Strapped to the rover’s belly is a technology demonstration Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity, which may achieve a 

“Wright Brothers moment” by testing the first powered 

flight on the Red planet.138 

NASA’s historic Parker Solar Probe mission is revolutionizing our understanding of the Sun, where changing 

conditions can propagate into the solar system, affecting 

Earth and other worlds. Parker Solar Probe travels through 

the Sun’s atmosphere, closer to the surface than any spacecraft before it, facing brutal heat and radiation conditions to 

provide humanity with the closest-ever observations of a 

star. Since its launch in August 2018, Parker Solar Probe has 

completed four of 24 planned passes through never-beforeexplored parts of the Sun’s atmosphere.139

In January 2019, scientists from NASA’s New Horizons mission released the first detailed image of the most distant 

object ever explored in the solar system—the Kuiper Belt 

object nicknamed Ultima Thule. Its remarkable appearance, unlike anything seen before, illuminates the 

processes that built the planets four and a half billion years 

ago. The new images revealed Ultima Thule as a “contact 

binary,” consisting of two connected spheres. End to end, 

the world measures 19 miles (31 kilometers) in length. The 

team says that the two spheres likely joined as early as 99 

percent of the way back to the formation of the solar system, colliding no faster than two cars in a fender-bender. 

Caption: President Donald J. Trump, Vice President Mike Pence watch the SpaceX Demonstration Mission 2 launch on May 30, 2020, at 

the Kennedy Space Center Operational Support Building in Cape Canaveral, FL.

Credit: Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead 
Advancing America’s Global Leadership in Science & Technology

31 

Safely Developing Space Nuclear Systems 

In August 2019, President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum on Launch of Spacecraft Containing Space 

Nuclear Systems.140 This Memorandum will help ensure that 

America can safely develop space nuclear systems that enhance our ability for space exploration, our operational 

capabilities, and the potential for increased commercial 

space activities. This Memorandum established an updated 

and risk-informed process for launching space nuclear systems that are funded or licensed by the Federal Government. With this Memorandum, the Trump Administration is 

enabling forward-looking, rigorous, and effective nuclear 

safety analysis, allowing the Federal Government and the

private sector to use space nuclear systems as we return to 

the Moon and venture beyond. 

Strengthening Resilience to Space Weather Events

In March 2019, the NSTC released the updated National 

Space Weather Strategy and Action Plan.141 The Strategy 

and Action Plan provides a collaborative roadmap for 

strengthening America’s resilience to space weather events. 

As an early implementation achievement, in April 2019, NSF 

and NASA sponsored a workshop to gather input on how to 

improve understanding of extreme space weather events, 

resulting in recommendations from an expert panel on opportunities for improving existing benchmarks.

142 These 

inputs will inform the establishment of higher-fidelity estimates of the characteristics of 1-in-100-year and theoretical 

maximum events. Another important step that supports the 

strategy was completed in May 2019 when DHS released a 

Federal Operating Concept for Impending Space Weather 

Events.143 This operating concept provides guidance to departments and agencies to be used in the development of 

their operational plans to prepare for, protect against, and 

mitigate the effects of impending space weather events. 

Preparing for space weather events is an important aspect 

of broader American resilience, which is a priority of this Administration. Greater resilience to space weather will 

bolster national and homeland security and will strengthen

U.S. leadership in space. 

Protecting Critical Space Systems from Threats

Amid growing concern of evolving cyber threats to space assets and supporting infrastructure, the Administration is 

protecting critical space assets, such as those used for positioning, navigation, and timing ; intelligence, surveillance, 

and reconnaissance (ISR); satellite communications; and 

weather monitoring. Space Policy Directive 5, the Nation’s 

first comprehensive cybersecurity policy for space systems, 

was signed by the President in September 2020 to foster

practices to protect space assets and operations by the U.S. 

Government and private space companies.144 This policy establishes principles based on widely accepted cybersecurity 

approaches for non-space systems and incorporates elements that address the specific challenges of securing the 

Nation’s space systems against cyber threats.

The Administration also issued the Executive Order on 

“Strengthening National Resilience through Responsible 

Use of Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Services” 

in February 2020.145 Recognizing the Nation’s reliance on 

GPS as the foremost PNT source, the Administration seeks 

to understand how a disruption of the Global Positioning 

System (GPS) could challenge the reliable and efficient 

functioning of critical infrastructure. Further, while this policy recognizes how space-based PNT has improved the lives 

of Americans, it encourages the adoption of multiple and 

varied sources of these signals to alleviate risk of over-reliance on GPS. As a result of this Executive Order, NIST 

developed and in October 2020 published a foundational 

Federal Agencies in Action: Achieving First Light for Dark Energy Experiment

The DOE-supported Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) achieved first light in 2019, becoming the most powerful multi-object spectrograph on the planet. Led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and supported by DOE’s 

Office of High Energy Physics, DESI will study the spectra of distant galaxies using an array of 5,000 independently 

swiveling robotic fiber-optic positioners to build a 3D map of the cosmos and uncover the nature of dark energy. DESI 

is installed on a mountaintop in Arizona and undergoing commissioning to ensure excellent data quality before it begins 

measuring 35 million galaxies and quasars over five years. A large international collaboration, DESI involves about 500 

researchers at75 institutions in 13 nations. DESI passed a Federal review in March 2020, and members of a Federal advisory board formally approved the completion of the project on May 11, 2020. 

Caption: A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with NASA’s 

Mars 2020 Perseverance rover onboard launches on July 30, 

2020, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL. 

Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
Trump Administration Highlights: 2017–2020

32

PNT profile to help organizations identify systems, networks, and assets dependent on PNT services; identify 

appropriate PNT services; detect disruption and manipulation of PNT services; and manage the associated risks to the 

systems, networks, and assets dependent on PNT services.146

Streamlining Regulations to Enable Commercial 

Space Activities

Since taking office, this Administration has continued to remove barriers to unleash American industry in space. 

President Trump signed Space Policy Directive 2 in May 

2018 to require various departments and agencies to 

streamline regulatory requirements to ensure that there are 

no undue barriers to acceleration of commercial space activities.147 The FAA is streamlining launch and reentry 

regulations to encourage growth of commercial space 

transportation while protecting the general public. To do 

so, relevant departments and agencies are transforming the 

launch and re-entry licensing regime to better reflect the 

higher cadence of launches and modern space transportation systems enabled by advances in the American 

commercial space sector. 

Additionally, to advance Space Policy Directive 2, in May 

2020, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) released 

new regulations to improve the licensing process for private 

U.S. satellite remote sensing operations;

148 the DOC and 

U.S. Department of State are reviewing the U.S. space export control regime with the goal of improving the 

competitiveness of the domestic space industry while protecting national security;

149 and the FCC has streamlined its 

satellite rules and updated its rules and policies governing 

non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) systems, including adopting spectrum sharing rules for NGSO systems.150 The FCC 

has approved 12 applications to launch NGSO satellite constellations that can provide high-speed broadband and 

other services.151 The FCC is continuing its efforts to streamline the process for siting of domestic satellite ground 

stations. 

Providing a Safe Space Environment

Prevention and mitigation of orbital debris and management of space traffic is in the interest—and is the 

responsibility—of all spacefaring nations to keep the space 

environment safe, stable, and operationally sustainable. In 

June 2018, the President signed Space Policy Directive 3, 

the Nation’s first space traffic management policy, to 

change the way space traffic management is conducted in 

the United States and to address the challenges of a congested space-operating environment.

152 To implement 

Space Policy Directive 3, the Department of Commerce is 

developing a commercially-focused interface to ensure safe 

and sustainable domestic and international space activities. OSTP initiated an effort to identify and report on 

research and development the Nation requires to fully realize the application of space situational awareness in a 

commercial setting.

Caption: OSTP Director Kelvin Droegemeier joins Vice President Mike Pence, Second Lady Karen Pence, OMB Director Russ Vought,

and members of the National Space Council in a video call to American astronauts aboard the International Space Station. 

Credit: Official White House Photo
Advancing America’s Global Leadership in Science & Technology

33

BUILDING THE S&T WORKFORCE OF THE FUTURE 

“The talent, grit, and spirit of the American worker have always defined our 

Nation and enabled us to compete and lead in the global economy.”

Ivanka Trump, Advisor to the President

Science, Technology, 

Engineering, and Math Education 

STEM education has accelerated America’s standing as the 

world’s S&T leader by fostering an ecosystem of discovery, 

innovation, entrepreneurship, and ingenuity. The strength 

of the U.S. workforce is one of the most important competitive advantages our Nation possesses in an increasingly 

competitive global landscape. A first step in building that 

workforce is providing a strong foundation in STEM-related 

skills and competencies for all Americans. The Trump Administration recognized from the outset, the importance of 

STEM education, equity and diversity, evidence-based practices, and engagement with the entire STEM community. 

Further, the Administration prioritized a nationwide collaboration with learners, families, educators, community 

leaders, and employers. These actions are helping to prepare the next generation of trailblazers who will advance 

S&T progress, economic prosperity, security, and health. 

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

Creating a Strategic Plan for STEM Education

In December of 2018, the NSTC Committee on STEM Education (CoSTEM) released the Federal STEM Education 

Strategic Plan, “Charting a Course for Success: America’s 

Strategy for STEM Education,” which outlines the goals for 

American STEM education.153 These goals include (1) building a strong foundation of STEM literacy, (2) increasing 

diversity and inclusion in STEM education, and (3) preparing 

the STEM workforce of the future. The Strategic Plan serves 

as a “North Star” to the broader STEM education community to chart a course for collective success. Since 

publishing the report, CoSTEM continues to update the 

American people on the implementation of the plan 

through its annual progress report. 154 

Prioritizing STEM Education Access for All Americans

In late 2017, the President signed a Presidential Memorandum expanding access to high-quality STEM and computer 

science education to K-12 students, underpinning his commitment to prepare Americans for jobs of the future.155 This 

early action affirmed the Administration’s unwavering focus 

on the importance of STEM literacy and providing women, 

minorities and students across the country with multiple 

pathways to career success. 

In December 2019, building on two years of progress following the Presidential Memorandum, President Trump signed 

two bills into law to enhance inclusion in our Nation’s STEM 

ecosystem. The first—the “Fostering Undergraduate Talent 

by Unlocking Resources for Education Act or the FUTURE 

Description: The structure of the five-year strategic 

plan for STEM education. The plan’s vision is supported 

by three aspirational goals. Four pathways contain objectives to guide efforts by the Government and wider 

STEM education community to realize the strategic 

plan’s vision and goals.
Trump Administration Highlights: 2017–2020

34

Act”—provides $255 million in annual funding for minority 

serving institutions.156 The second—the “Building Blocks of 

STEM Act”—builds on the Administration’s efforts to expand 

access to high-quality pre-kindergarten and elementary 

STEM education and encourage women to participate in 

computer science courses.157 

Building new Partnerships for STEM Education 

Through the launch of the National Q-12 Education Partnership,158 the Administration is ensuring that every American, 

regardless of age or background, has the skills needed to 

compete and succeed in tomorrow’s workplace through access to high-quality STEM education and alternative career 

pathways. Similarly, NSF INCLUDES (Inclusion across the 

Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented 

Discoverers in Engineering and Science), which focuses on 

making a lasting, positive effect in diversifying the STEM 

workforce of the future through partnerships and collaboration at scale, has committed $20 million towards this 

initiative in FY 2020 and has expanded partnerships with ED, 

NASA, NOAA, NIH, NIST, and the U.S. Geological Survey

(USGS).159 To help support Veterans and military spouses 

pursue careers in STEM, President Trump signed “The Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act” in February 2020.160

This legislation will help Veterans translate skills gained in 

the military to fill needed gaps in the STEM workforce. 

Investing in STEM Education

In its yearly memoranda establishing R&D budgetary priorities for Federal departments and agencies, the 

Administration has repeatedly highlighted STEM education 

as a cross-cutting focal area.161 In FY 2020 alone, 17 Federal 

departments and agencies invested an estimated $3.7 billion in STEM education. This investment funded 174 STEM 

education programs serving students, teachers, faculty, 

and upskilling of STEM workers.162

Caption: U.S. CTO Michael Kratsios joins Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump at The White House STEM Education Summit. 

Credit: Official White House Photo
Advancing America’s Global Leadership in Science & Technology

35 

Recognizing STEM Teachers, Mentors, and Early 

Career Professionals 

On July 25, 2019, 314 early-career professionals were presented with the Presidential Early Career Award for 

Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). The PECASE is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. Government to outstanding 

scientists and engineers who are beginning their independent research careers and who show exceptional promise for 

leadership in S&T. Since it was created in 1996, PECASE has 

highlighted the key role that the Federal Government places 

in encouraging and accelerating American innovation to 

grow our economy and tackle our greatest challenges. 

During the Trump Administration, NSF and OSTP have recognized the remarkable achievements of hundreds of 

teachers and mentors through the Presidential Awards for 

Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) 

and the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM). In June 

2018, NSF and OSTP welcomed over 140 teachers to the Nation’s Capital to celebrate and pay tribute to teachers and 

mentors from all across the nation. In the fall of 2019, an additional 300-plus teachers and mentors were honored in 

conjunction with a Federal STEM education summit that engaged awardees and STEM leaders to discuss the release of 

The White House “Progress Report on the Federal Implementation of the STEM Education Strategic Plan.”163 In 

August 2020, NSF and OSTP virtually recognized another 

122 teachers and mentors for their remarkable commitment to helping students succeed in STEM.

The American Worker 

As we experience a new wave of S&T progress in the Industries of the Future and other critical fields, everyone from 

researchers to electricians, to farmers and machinists require lifelong opportunities to grow their knowledge and 

skills. This Administration has prioritized these in demand 

fields through the establishment of the National Council for 

the American Worker, responsible for protecting our 

Country’s greatest asset—the American people—and coordinating policy that invests in our citizenry by providing 

opportunities for education and training so they may thrive 

in the modern workplace.

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: 

Increasing Opportunities for Life-long Learning

In June 2017, President Trump signed an Executive Order on 

Expanding Apprenticeships in America. The Administration 

constructed this effort to prepare more students and workers with the right technical skills through innovative

apprenticeship and job training programs while reducing 

debt burden.164 Through the Department of Labor (DOL) 

funding priorities, this Executive Order emphasized support 

for educational institutions’ existing efforts to integrate industry-recognized credentials and programs into their 

curricula. The Executive Order also paved the way for both 

apprenticeship.gov and Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs designed to connect job seekers and 

employers with apprenticeship programs and resources 

Caption: PECASE Awardees celebrate their achievements in Washington, DC in July 2019. 

Credit: OSTP 
Trump Administration Highlights: 2017–2020

36

across the country. Building on this, DOL announced the 

first Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Program, in 

October 2020.165

In July 2018, the Trump Administration signed into law the 

“Strengthening Career and Technical Education (CTE) for 

the 21st Century Act.”166 The Act modernized the Perkins 

CTE Act to more fully develop the academic, career, and 

technical skills that are industry-driven while providing dual 

enrollment opportunities for earning a technical degree 

cost effectively and efficiently.167 

Since 2017, Federal departments and agencies have introduced programs such as the Department of Education (ED)

Federal Work-Study (FWS) Innovative Experimental Sites.168

The FWS Experiment provides institutions with increased 

flexibilities, enabling students to earn work-study benefits 

while participating in apprenticeships, internships, and 

work-based learning programs. Students can also earn 

work-study wages while completing required clinical rotations, externships and student teaching. 

The NSF Future of Work at the Human Technology Frontier 

Program169 is supporting convergent research to develop 

new human-technology partnerships that will increase 

worker productivity and innovation. This research will prepare the workforce for human-technology partnerships by 

combining the benefits of new technologies, such as AI and 

virtual environments, with increased understanding of 

value-based social, economic, and educational impacts. 

These efforts complement the Pledge to America’s Workers 

and aim to further expand private sector opportunities, apprenticeships, and internships for students.

Caption: President Donald J. Trump, Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump, and Director of the U.S. National Economic Council Larry 

Kudlow participate in the "Our Pledge to America's Workers" event.

Credit: Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian 

The Pledge to America’s Workers

As part of the National Council for the American Worker, the Trump Administration asked companies and trade groups 

throughout the country to sign the “Pledge to America’s Workers.” Signing the pledge indicated a commitment to expanding programs that educate, train, and reskill American workers from high-school age to near-retirement.

Since President Trump signed the Executive Order establishing the National Council for the American Worker in July 

2018, more than 450 companies and organizations have signed the Pledge (as of October 2020), contributing to over 16 

million new education and training opportunities for American students and workers over the next five years. 
Advancing America’s Global Leadership in Science & Technology

37 

Preparing Americans for the Industries of the Future

Ensuring that American workers are prepared for the IotF is 

a top priority for President Trump. As part of its focus on 

securing U.S. leadership in these critical industries, the 

Administration released a national broadband strategy to 

increase high-speed internet access across America, especially in rural areas. This will allow more Americans to 

pursue online education and to benefit from the digital 

economy, lifting up those far outside of tech hubs and wellconnected urban centers. See the above section, 

“Accelerating American Leadership in the Industries of the 

Future,” for additional Administration actions aimed at 

creating an IotF-ready workforce.

Launching the Workforce Grand Challenge 

Computational skills and competencies are essential in our 

increasingly digital world. These changes are in response to 

the growing recognition that computing skills and competencies are increasingly fundamental to a wide array of 

disciplines, careers, and student interests. To answer that 

need, the Workforce Grand Challenge was launched in 

November of 2019 as a Government-wide prize competition 

initiative to address the challenges of a 21st Century workforce. Agencies developed, designed, and launched 

individual prize competitions ranging in size, scope and 

timeline, but each aimed at finding innovative solutions to 

reskilling workers, improving the pipeline for the future 

workforce, and using IotF to reskill and train across multiple 

sectors. The Veteran’s Employment Challenge, launched 

jointly by DOL, DoD, and VA, aimed at developing a new tool 

to help transitioning service members of the military in their 

job searches.170 Many other challenges were incorporated in 

the broader effort as the Trump Administration continues to 

support the use of challenges and prize competitions by 

which departments and agencies can engage and motivate 

the collective ingenuity of American researchers to solve the 

most pressing issues facing our Nation. 

Fostering Innovation with Prizes and Challenges

The Trump Administration has underscored the power of 

prizes and challenges to spur private sector engagement, 

advance scientific research and discovery, and to inspire the 

next generation of makers and innovators. In March 2018, 

OSTP led “The White House Roundtable Discussion on Fostering Innovation with Prizes and Challenges,”171 bringing 

together industry and government leaders to discuss the 

role of prizes and challenges to foster innovation, solve 

problems, spur job growth, and save taxpayer dollars. Following that convening and in response to the requirements 

of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 and 

the Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science Act, in June 2019, 

OSTP released a report on the Implementation of Federal 

Prize and Citizen Science Authority: Fiscal Years 2017-18.172

Caption: President Donald J. Trump signs a Presidential Memorandum “Expanding Access to High Quality STEM and Computer

Science Education” on September 25, 2017. 

Credit: Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead
Trump Administration Highlights: 2017–2020

38

Promoting Remote Learning 

Since day one, access to high-quality remote learning has 

been a priority for the Trump Administration. With the onset 

of the COVID-19 pandemic, work in this area has accelerated 

by leaps and bounds. For example, President Trump signed 

the CARES Act into law in March 2020 with overwhelming bipartisan support.173 The FCC and ED are working to promote 

the use of $16 billion in funding from the Act’s Education 

Stabilization Fund for remote learning.174 Through the effort, the agencies will work with governors, States, 

territories, and local school districts as they leverage funding to best help students learning from home during COVID19. Schools can use these funds for tools and resources for

distance education including hardware, software, and

connectivity.

In addition, OSTP led joint efforts with American technology 

companies to make online learning resources more accessible for teachers, parents, and students who are 

participating in remote learning or work.175 Many agencies 

contributed STEM education resources to help populate a 

jointly developed site, TechforLearners.org, a searchable 

online database of education technology tools to help facilitate online teaching and learning. The platform includes

NASA STEM @ Home,

176 which encourages students and 

family members to explore questions about the universe 

and discover answers together through hands-on educational activities from home.

Advancing Learning and Employment Records

In September 2019, the American Workforce Policy Advisory 

Board (AWPAB) Digital Infrastructure Working Group published a white paper on Learning and Employment Records 

(LERs), a system that contains verified, transferable information about a person’s educational and training 

achievements in the classroom or workplace. LERs give individuals ownership of a verified and detailed record of their 

skills and achievements, and transparently surfaces those 

skills to current and prospective employers and educational 

institutions. The White House, through the AWPAB, has 

facilitated progress on making LERs a reality by enabling 

collaboration among employers, academic institutions, 

technology firms, and government partners. The COVID-19 

pandemic has underscored the need for this transformational technology as it has created a massive need for 

upskilling and reskilling and an unprecedented number of 

individuals who are looking for work. To this end, members 

of the AWPAB and their partners developed a series of pilot 

projects that proved the technical viability of LERs, employed best practices to build scalable, interoperable 

systems, and deployed the technology against the critical 

challenges facing employers and the American worker.

Supporting Telehealth and Remote Learning by 

Waiving Gift Rules

The FCC waived gift rules in the Rural Health Care and ERate programs to make it easier for broadband providers to 

support telehealth and remote learning efforts during the 

pandemic.177 The waiver will allow healthcare providers, 

schools, and libraries to accept improved capacity, Wi-Fi 

hotspots, networking gear, or other equipment or services 

to support doctors and patients, teachers and students, and 

librarians and patrons during the coronavirus outbreak.

“Across the country, students, teachers and families 

are proving that learning can and does happen

anywhere...By extending additional funding flexibility 

to schools, we are helping to ensure student learning 

continues and supporting teachers as they transition 

to virtual classrooms...” 

Betsy DeVos, Secretary, U.S. Department of Education

Caption: OSTP Director Kelvin Droegemeier with students at 

Energy Institute High School in Houston, TX.

Credit: Copyright 2019 Michael Stravato
Advancing America’s Global Leadership in Science & Technology

39 

PROMOTING & PROTECTING THE 

RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT 

“The values we cherish as Americans are the ethos of research itself; namely, the 

freedom to explore new frontiers, the commitment to openness and transparency 

through the sharing of methods and results, the ability to debate difficult issues 

thoughtfully and with civility, and the passion to work with and improve the lives 

of others. The success of our research enterprise is dependent on everyone 

upholding the principles of research.”

Dr. Kelvin K. Droegemeier, Director, The White House Office of Science and 

Technology Policy

Continued American global leadership in S&T requires that 

the environments in which research takes place are safe, inclusive, operate with maximum integrity, appropriately 

balance openness and international collaboration with security, and do not encumber researchers, agencies, or 

institutions with unnecessary administrative work. By prioritizing a research environment built on strong values,

178 the 

Trump Administration is ensuring maximal return on taxpayer investment in R&D. 

The Joint Committee on the Research Environment

In May 2019, NSTC established the Joint Committee on the 

Research Environment (JCORE), 179 and four interagency 

subcommittees, to address critical issues facing the U.S. research community, namely: 

 Strengthening the security of the U.S. research

enterprise.

 Reducing administrative burdens on federallyfunded research.

 Fostering rigor and integrity in research.

 Creating safe, diverse, inclusive, and equitable

research environments for all members of the

research enterprise.

Understanding that the Government alone cannot address 

these issues, the group engages not only with Federal agencies, but broader stakeholders as well, including research 

institutions, publishers, individual researchers, industry, 

non-profit and philanthropic organizations, professional 

associations and societies, and Congress. By addressing 

challenges and opportunities within these four interrelated 

and mutually reinforcing areas, JCORE serves as a whole-ofNation effort that will help American researchers, scientists, 

and engineers reach their full potential and unleash discovery and innovation across the scientific enterprise. 

Research Security

The open and collaborative nature of the U.S. S&T research 

enterprise underpins America’s innovation, S&T leadership, 

economic competitiveness, and national security. Maintaining an open environment is critical to fostering research 

discoveries and innovation that benefit our Nation and the 

world. At the same time, the openness of this environment 

must be balanced by approaches to protect nascent intellectual capital, discourage research misappropriation, and 

ensure responsible management of U.S. taxpayer dollars. 

Over the past several years, some nations have exhibited increasingly sophisticated efforts to exploit, interfere in, and 

undermine our research activities and environments. The 

JCORE Subcommittee on Research Security and the entire 

Trump Administration have taken tangible measures to protect our research enterprise while striking the appropriate 

balance between openness and security. 

Caption:OSTP Director Kelvin Droegemeier meeting with staff 

and leadership from Texas A&M University and the University of 

Texas at Austin to talk about JCORE.

Credit:OSTP
Trump Administration Highlights: 2017–2020

40

Ensuring Safe and Inclusive Research Environments

The Subcommittee on Safe and Inclusive Research Environments under JCORE addresses the issues essential to 

recruiting and retaining a diverse science and engineering 

workforce, promoting creativity, increasing scientific 

productivity, and preserving U.S. global S&T competitiveness. The subcommittee focuses on ensuring that all 

researchers are welcomed, valued, encouraged to participate fully, and treated fairly and with respect, without fear 

of harassment, intimidation, or discrimination. In addition 

to the Federal coordination facilitated by the Subcommittee, the Federal departments and agencies have initiated 

policy and programmatic changes to achieve a safe, inclusive, and equitable research environment. 

Fostering Rigorous Research

The Administration recognizes that research has its widest 

effect and is most trustworthy when its methodology and 

analysis are well-designed, results transparently articulated 

and openly available for replication, and when findings—including negative results—are published. The JCORE 

Subcommittee on Rigor and Integrity in Research was 

established to identify cross-agency principles, priorities, 

and actions to enhance research integrity, rigor, reproducibility, and replicability. The Subcommittee works 

collaboratively to support activities that facilitate research 

rigor and integrity through efforts to address transparency, 

incentives, communication, training and other areas.

Reducing Administrative Burdens 

The Trump Administration recognizes that the U.S. research 

enterprise must eliminate unnecessary administrative burdens on researchers, research institutions, and agencies to 

accelerate innovation. The NSTC established the JCORE 

Subcommittee on Coordinating Administrative Requirements in Research to decrease the estimated 44.3 percent, 

reported by the Federal Demonstration Partnership 

(FDP),180 as the time spent on administrative tasks related 

to Federal awards rather than actively conducting research. 

This Subcommittee draws the interagency together to identify policy and technological solutions to accelerate the 

pace of scientific innovation by reducing or eliminating unnecessary administrative requirements when receiving 

federal funds for research. 

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: 

Engaging the Community

To ensure the perspectives of America’s research community are represented, The White House embarked on a

listening tour across all U.S. regions over the past year to engage stakeholders on the core focus areas of JCORE. OSTP 

addressed a letter to the research community181 on JCORE 

research security and also released an RFI182 in November

2019, seeking community feedback across all four JCORE 

areas. This engagement led to a second round of virtual 

meetings to communicate findings and share information 

collected by the Subcommittee on Research Security over 

the past year. 

Leading a White House Summit

In November 2019, The White House hosted a summit to discuss JCORE focus areas.

183 The summit focused on the 

integrative approach JCORE is taking to develop policy recommendations and best practices aimed at improving the 

research environment across the four JCORE priority areas. 

The summit brought together more than 150 leaders from 

industry, academia, and the Federal Government to inform 

JCORE activities. 

Ensuring a Fair, Inclusive, Secure, Safe Environment 

for International Research Collaboration

In 2019, OSTP led research integrity discussions with global 

S&T leaders from 14 countries to ensure that international 

S&T collaboration—vital to developing solutions for the 

safety, health, and economic prosperity of our nations—is 

underpinned by the values of freedom of inquiry, meritbased competition, openness and transparency, accountability, and reciprocity. 

Engaging Stakeholders on the Risk to the Integrity of 

America’s Research Enterprise

Since launching the Joint Committee on the Research 

Environment in 2019, OSTP has engaged in extensive 

interagency coordination and stakeholder outreach on 

improving the rigor, productivity, inclusiveness, and 

security of America’s research environments. To date, 

JCORE has conducted or facilitated listening sessions 

through 13 regional meetings representing over 47 universities, with another 72 association meetings, and an 

additional 127 security-related engagements. 

In response to a call from the research community for a 

balanced approach to communicating risks to research, 

the JCORE Subcommittee on Research Security developed a resource to raise awareness of these risks, 

“Strengthening the Security and Integrity of America’s 

Research Enterprise.” OSTP Director Kelvin Droegemeier led eight regional webinars across the country, 

reaching over 120 universities, to discuss the importance of research security and provide updates on 

Administration actions to address risks to security and 

integrity while maintaining an open and collaborative 

enterprise. 
Advancing America’s Global Leadership in Science & Technology

41

Protecting America from Theft of Technology and 

Intellectual Property

On May 29, 2020, President Trump issued a proclamation to 

block certain graduate level and above Chinese nationals 

associated with entities in China that implement or support 

China’s Military-Civil Fusion strategy, from using F or J visas 

to enter the United States.

184

Enabling Fundamental Research Security 

As part of its ongoing efforts to keep international research 

collaboration both open and secure, NSF commissioned a 

report by the independent science advisory group, JASON, 

to enhance the agency’s understanding of the threats to 

basic research posed by foreign governments that have violated the principles of scientific ethics and research 

integrity. The report, released in December 2019, affirms the 

scope and scale of the threat and concludes that problems 

associated with foreign government interference in the research enterprise can be addressed within the framework of 

research integrity.”185 

Preventing Unathorized Transfer of Scientific and 

Technical Information in DOE’s National Labs 

In June 2019, DOE implemented a policy restricting DOE 

employees, including contractors, from participating in foreign government talent recruitment programs sponsored 

by countries of risk (China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea). 

Participation in such recruitment programs creates conflicts of interest and the potential for misappropriation of

intellectual property.

Protecting the Integrity of U.S. Biomedical Research 

NIH has accelerated its efforts to address undue foreign interference in the biomedical enterprise. In August 2018, the 

NIH Director issued a statement about incidents that violate 

core principles and threaten the integrity and academic 

competitiveness of U.S. biomedical research. NIH convened 

a working group of the Advisory Committee to the Director 

Caption: Leaders from across the S&T enterprise attend a White House summit to discuss the four JCORE focus areas in November 2019. 

Credit: OSTP

“In President Trump, our innovators have a

champion in the White House who is fiercely

standing up for American values and defending our 

research system from foreign subversion. JCORE is at 

the center of this president’s whole-of-Nation

effort to protect American interests and defend our 

hard-earned research.”

Kelvin K. Droegemeier, Director, The White House 

Office of Science and Technology Policy
Trump Administration Highlights: 2017–2020

42

on Foreign Influences on Research Integrity. As of 

September 2020, NIH sent notices to 92 academic and 

research institutions and identified concerns regarding 

more than 203 scientists. 

Initiating Grant Terms and Conditions

In February 2019, NSF updated its Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide to include a requirement that 

conference proposers implement a policy or code of conduct that addresses sexual harassment, other forms of 

harassment, or sexual assault, with clear and accessible 

means of reporting violations.

186 Additionally, NSF released 

new conference and awardee organization notification 

requirements.187 Similarly, NASA posted the final notice to 

the Federal Register for a new term and condition regarding 

sexual harassment, other forms of harassment, and sexual 

assault.188 

Promoting Enhanced Reporting

NIH and NSF created enhanced reporting options that empower researchers by going beyond the formal Title IX 

complaints requirements by providing an option for individuals to informally notify the agency of a concern. NIH and 

NSF both allow individuals to notify the agencies directly 189

when filing a complaint of harassment or discrimination.190

Initiating Anti-Harassment Campaigns

In February 2018, NASA initiated an agency-wide Anti-Harassment Campaign. The campaign comprises a number of 

components designed to “help support the safety and success of NASA’s workforce and mission by maintaining a 

harassment-free workplace that provides Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity and Inclusion, where 

employees are fully empowered to be heard and to contribute to the agency.” The campaign’s two objectives are to 

proactively prevent harassment and to promptly correct 

harassment when it occurs.191 

Strengthening the Rigor of Animal Research

In June 2020, the NIH Advisory Committee to the Director 

(ACD) Working Group on Enhancing Reproducibility and 

Rigor in Animal Research provided its Interim Report, including the group’s charge, progress, and next steps. Focal 

areas included methods, results and inferential reproducibility; selection of models; use of pre-registration; effect on 

NIH resources; and culture change. 

Advancing Rigor Practices

On February 28, 2020, OSTP, the NSTC Rigor and Integrity in 

Research Subcommittee, and the National Academies of 

Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Roundtable 

on Aligning Incentives for Open Science held a joint meeting 

on aligning incentives in support of research integrity, 

reproducibility, and openness. The meeting convened Federal departments and agencies, academia, philanthropic 

organizations, publishing groups, and other stakeholders 

for a dialogue on best practices and actions to enhance 

rigorous science and establish jointly affirmed principles. 

Reducing Burdens through Policy Guidance 

In August 2020, OMB issued revised grants guidance that 

included measures to reduce administrative work for grantees. These include extending the reporting period for final 

financial, performance, and other reports from 90 to 120 

days; clarifying prime awardees’ responsibilities on audit 

findings of subawards; increasing the cap for flexible 

spending for small (“micro”) purchases from $3,500 to 

$10,000, allowing non-Federal entities to self-certify a 

threshold up to $50,000; and expanding opportunities for 

use of simple, non-detailed budgets. 

Enabling OMB Grant Flexibilities in Response to 

COVID-19

To address disruptions and promote resilience within the 

academic R&D enterprise, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, OMB issued guidance memos to provide flexibilities 

to recipients of Federal research awards. Core flexibilities 

included allowing agencies to repurpose their awards to 

support the COVID-19 response, authorizing continued 

charging of salaries and benefits; pausing and restarting of 

grant funded activities on active awards; and delayed submission of financial, performance and other reports. 

Reducing Administrative Work through IT Solutions

To reduce unwarranted administrative burden, beginning 

in October 2020, NSF required use of an NSF-approved format in submission of the biographical sketch and financial 

support documents. This effort builds on an NSF partnership with NIH to use the NIH developed Science Experts 

Network Curriculum Vitae (SciENcv) platform as one of two 

approved NSF formats. 

Caption: OSTP Director Kelvin Droegemeier discusses JCORE

topic areas with the MIT Graduate Student Council. 

Credit: OSTP
Advancing America’s Global Leadership in Science & Technology

43

S&T DISCOVERY AND INNOVATION 

“Throughout our American story, the trailblazers who have been willing to take 

great risks and chart new frontiers have changed the landscape of business, science, 

and technology, often setting the global pace for productivity and prosperity. Their 

relentless pursuit of success has launched new industries, created millions of jobs, 

and fueled an economy that is the envy of the world.”

Donald J. Trump, President of the United States

Since the end of World War II, America has built the best 

discovery and innovation engine. We have done so by enabling and empowering the private sector, academia, 

governments, and nonprofits to work in mutually complementary ways to discover, innovate, educate, and train, 

while remaining committed to bedrock American values, 

such as free inquiry, market-based competition, and inclusion. During the first term, President Trump and the entire 

Administration have taken decisive action to ensure America remains on the forefront of S&T discovery and that 

these discoveries yield concrete benefits for Americans 

across every city and town in the United States and its 

territories. 

S&T Breakthroughs 

R&D leads to the discovery of new knowledge, which in turn 

serves as the building blocks for the innovations that fuel 

economic prosperity, improve our quality of life, and enhance national security. Most of the technologies we enjoy 

today—from streaming online services to wayfinding apps 

to medical diagnostics and treatment—trace their roots to 

fundamental research. The investments, policies, and other 

actions described in this document are already fostering 

S&T discoveries across numerous fields that will serve as the 

building blocks of innovation for the decades ahead. 

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

Capturing the First Ever Image of a Black Hole

The Event Horizon Telescope, a planet-scale array of eight 

ground-based radio telescopes around the world, captured 

the first image of a supermassive black hole and its shadow.

The shadow of a black hole is the closest scientists can 

come to an image of the black hole itself, a completely dark 

object from which light cannot escape.192 This black hole resides 55 million light-years from Earth and has a mass 6.5-

billion times that of the Sun.193 This breakthrough was the 

result of sustained funding from NSF, Smithsonian Institute 

(SI), NASA, DOE and its global partners with over 200 researchers at 60 institutions operating in 20 countries.194 This 

historic image expands our fundamental knowledge of the 

universe, confirms nearly a century of scientific theory, and 

opens new windows of study into space time.195 

Recycling Water in Space

USDA scientists discovered and patented a novel anammox 

bacteria strain for cost-effective wastewater treatment to 

remove harmful levels of nitrogen before they reach water 

bodies like the Chesapeake Bay and Gulf of Mexico.196 The 

anammox treatment process would cost only one-third of 

existing technologies, which in the Chesapeake Bay watershed alone are estimated at $8.2 billion. In an important

venture, USDA partnered with a private firm to license the 

patented bacteria. On Earth, USDA is using anammox in 

swine farm lagoons for odor capping, and is partnering with 

NASA to develop anammox-based treatment reactors for 

recycling and recovery of water during space exploration 

and moon or Mars colonization. It costs $83,000 to transport 

one gallon of water into space, and four astronauts on the 

ISS require 12 gallons of water each day, the new treatment 

reactor would save millions when deployed. 

Celebrating Nobel Prize Winners

In 2019, 6 NSF grant recipients were awarded the Nobel 

Prize, bringing the total number of grantees earning 

that distinction to 242. The 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley 

Whittingham, and Akira Yoshino “for the development 

of lithium-ion batteries.” Goodenough is also a Principal Investigator for the DOE grant, “Materials and 

Interfacial Chemistry for Next-Generation Electrical 

Energy Storage,” first awarded in 2010 and most recently renewed in 2019. Whittingham is currently the 

director of the NorthEast Center for Chemical Energy 

Storage, a DOE Energy Frontier Research Center. 

Goodenough and Whittingham have played integral 

roles over the years in Federal advisory committee-related activities, helping DOE to chart an effective path 

forward in transformative research on energy storage. 
Trump Administration Highlights: 2017–2020

44

Battling Cystic Fibrosis

Through three decades of challenging and innovative work 

supported by NIH, a non-profit advocacy foundation, and 

industry, a triple combination therapy for cystic fibrosis (CF)

was tested in phase 3 trials and approved in record time by 

FDA in 2019. This drug combination is capable of revolutionizing the prognosis of 90 percent of patients suffering from 

this life-threatening condition.

197 By targeting the most 

common CF-causing mutation that produces protein misfolding and activation, researchers developed a gene 

function-based treatment that demonstrated safety and 

efficacy for people with either one or two copies of the mutation. 

Advancing the State of Battery Science

DOE-supported researchers made key advances in battery 

science and technology in 2018. For the first time, researchers at a DOE Energy Frontier Research Center reversibly 

inserted and extracted two lithium ions from a multielectron lithium ion battery cathode, with full recovery on 

recharging—a capability that could greatly increase battery 

capacity.198 Scientists used the Advanced Light Source and 

the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Light Source to improve understanding of lithium transport—a potential path 

to safer, longer-lasting, and higher-power batteries.199

Reducing Ebola Fatalities

In addition to FDA approval of the first vaccine for the Ebola 

virus,200 DARPA’s Autonomous Diagnostics to Enable Prevention and Therapeutics and Prophylactic Options to 

Environmental and Contagious Threats programs are supporting fundamental R&D resulting in several types of 

discovery and gene-encoded monoclonal antibody platforms, and have greatly de-risked the gene-based medical 

countermeasures field. In 2019, DARPA worked with the NIH 

Vaccine Research Center on the development and manufacture of mAb-114. The mAb-114 antibody is now being 

administered at large scale in the Democratic Republic of 

the Congo and is considered one of the standard treatments 

for Ebola, reducing fatality rates by more than 70 percent.201

Caption: Using the Event Horizon Telescope, scientists obtained an image of the black hole at the center of galaxy M87, outlined by 

emission from hot gas swirling around it under the influence of strong gravity near its event horizon. 

Credit: Event Horizon Telescope collaboration et al.
45

Advancing America’s Global Leadership in Science & Technology

Advancing S&T Innovation 

The United States spends more than any other nation on 

R&D each year, investing over $120 billion in federallyfunded R&D alone in 2017, including over 42 percent of all 

basic research performed in the United States.

202

Under the President’s leadership the Federal Government 

has prioritized the rapid translation of S&T discoveries into 

critical technologies such as life-saving cancer drugs, 

vaccines, medical devices, and countless other innovations 

that underpin every aspect of the American way of life.

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: 

Unleashing American Innovation

In April 2018, OSTP and NIST held a symposium with leaders 

across government, industry, and academia to address systemic barriers to reaching the full potential of American 

innovation. The event launched the Lab-to-Market Cross 

Agency Priority (CAP) goal, part of the President’s Management Agenda (PMA).93Overthe last two years,the NSTC Labto-Market subcommittee has convened agencies across the 

Executive branch to enhance and accelerate the Nation’s 

technology transfer efforts. In 2019, NIST released a Green 

paper, “Return on Investment Initiative for Unleashing 

American Innovation,”203 to advance the Lab-to-Market CAP 

Goal.204 The Green paper’s findings help inform future deliberations, decision-making and potential actions that could 

maximize the return on taxpayer investment in federally 

funded R&D. This should, in turn, strengthen U.S. economic 

competitiveness and support national security needs.

205

Issuing Patent Number 10 Million: Advancing 

Economic Prosperity and Supporting Job Creation

In June 2018, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued U.S. patent number 10 million, marking 

a milestone in human ingenuity since the first patent was 

signed by George Washington in 1790. USPTO has significantly reduced patent application pendency in recent years 

and made a significant breakthrough in 2019.206 In FY 2019, 

the USPTO reduced average patent application pendency 

to under 15 months for first office actions—the lowest level 

since 2002. Additionally, USPTO has brought the average total pendency for patent applications—the timeframe from 

filing to final disposition—to under 24 months. The USPTO 

achieved these milestones despite receiving an ever-increasing number of patent applications—more than 

665,000 in FY 2019 alone. Efficient processing of patent applications advances economic prosperity, supports job 

creation, and supports a business environment that protects, cultivates, and promotes innovation and 

entrepreneurship. It also advances S&T innovation through 

increased investment in research, development, and marketing of innovations.

Promoting Innovation and Investment in S&T

A series of court decisions in the past decade has created 

uncertainty about the types of inventions that were eligible 

for patenting. In 2019, USPTO announced revised guidance 

to assist examiners and the public in determining what 

claimed inventions are eligible for patenting.207 By clarifying 

the understanding of what it means for an invention to be 

patent eligible, the USPTO’s guidance brought muchneeded certainty and predictability to this area of law.208

The revised guidance also reduces administrative barriers 

related to patent eligibility, making it easier for inventors to 

obtain patents in technologies that power industries of the 

future and more. 

Supporting Innovative Tools and Services for 

Technology Transfer in our National Labs

As part of the President’s Management Agenda, the Administration has sought to improve engagement with private 

sector technology development experts and investors to 

enable even greater return on Federal R&D investments. In 

July 2018, DOE launched the Lab Partnering Service, an 

online, single streamlined point of access for industry to 

connect to experts at the National Laboratories.209 In September, the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology 

Transfer (FLC) launched FLC Business 3.0, incorporating 

user feed-back to improve this clearinghouse of Federal Laboratory information, including a technology locator chat 

service that provides personalized advice.210

Caption:DOC Secretary Wilbur Ross (left) and U.S. CTO Michael 

Kratsios (center) visit the USPTO booth at the 2020 Consumer 

Electronics Show to learn about Federal Small Business 

Innovation Research (SBIR)-funded startups. 

Credit:OSTP
Trump Administration Highlights: 2017–2020

46

Accelerating Commercialization in High-Impact, 

Transformative Technologies 

To further accelerate its technology transfer activities and 

engagement with industry, DOE began InnovationXLab 

summits in September 2018.

211 The XLab series is designed 

to increase engagement of the National Labs with the private sector on high-impact, potentially transformative 

technologies. In November 2018, DOE announced the appointment of its first Chief Commercialization Officer.

212 In 

2019, DOE implemented expanded use of Agreements for 

Commercializing Technology (ACT) that facilitate the ability 

of lab contractors to engage with industry more flexibly on 

technology transfer projects. 

Promoting Multisector Partnerships

Partnerships among Federal departments and agencies, 

between the Federal Government and industry, and multisector partnerships facilitated by the USG, serve as force 

multipliers, enabling partnering organizations to achieve 

higher returns on investment and create efficiencies 

through events and other collaboration opportunities. During the past three-plus years, OSTP has brought together 

every sector to leverage resources and further the objective 

of PMA CAP Goal 14 to “Improve Transfer of FederallyFunded Technologies from Lab-to-Market.”213 

In addition to the many partnership examples offered in this 

report, OSTP has convened stakeholders from across the 

S&T enterprise to discuss ways to strengthen S&T partnerships . For example, in the fall of 2019, OSTP hosted 50-plus

Federal representatives to share best practices, data, user 

facilities, and other resources. In December 2019, OSTP and 

UIDP co-hosted the “Broadening University and Industry 

Engagement symposium at Stanford University.214 The symposium brought together more than 90 leaders and experts 

from the private sector, academia, and Federal, State, and 

local governments to identify opportunities to broaden and 

strengthen cross-sector engagement and identify engagement pathways to build new relationships across the S&T

enterprise. Lastly, The White House highlighted strengthening multisector partnerships as a cross-cutting action in its 

FY 2021 and FY 2022 R&D Budget Priorities Memoranda.215 

Other S&T Highlights 

Creation of the Interagency Council for Advancing 

Meteorological Services 

In August 2020, OSTP and NOAA announced the creation of 

the Interagency Council for Advancing Meteorological Services (ICAMS).216 ICAMS was created to improve the 

mechanism by which Federal departments and agencies 

coordinate policy and practices to ensure continued U.S. 

global leadership in the meteorological services enterprise. 

OSTP spearheaded the development of ICAMS in fulfillment 

of a provision in the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act.217 ICAMS represents the most significant 

restructuring of the meteorological enterprise since the creation of the Federal Committee for Meteorological Services 

and Supporting Research in 1964. ICAMS harmonizes crucial 

activities to improve coordination and creates a streamlined framework that will allow for more effective 

collaboration with external groups. 

Redefining the International System of Weights and 

Measures

For more than a century, the kilogram (kg)—the fundamental unit of mass in the International System of Units—was 

defined as exactly equal to the mass of a small polished cylinder, cast in 1879 of platinum and iridium.218 In November 

2018, NIST worked with partner metrology institutes to 

move the system of units used world-wide to be entirely 

Caption: Federal leaders from NIST, DOE, and NSF speak at an 

OSTP co-hosted summit on “Broadening University and Industry Engagement” at Stanford University in December 2019.

Credit: OSTP

Caption:OSTP Director Kelvin Droegemeier and NOAA Acting 

Administrator Neil Jacobs sign the inaugural charter for the 

Interagency Council for Advancing Meteorological Services. 

Credit: OSTP
Advancing America’s Global Leadership in Science & Technology

47

based on fundamental constants of nature and quantumenabled realizations. This new approach enables improvements in precision measurements that affect everything 

from pharmaceuticals manufacturing to experimental 

physics, and will create a new opportunity for the development of new quantum measurement technologies.

Launching an Earthquake Early Warning System

In 2019, USGS and the State of California launched the firstever State-wide public testing of the California Early Earthquake Warning System, which is powered by USGS’s 

earthquake early warning alerts (“ShakeAlerts”).

219 Alerts 

were delivered to mobile phones through FEMA’s Integrated 

Public Alert and Warning System's Wireless Emergency Alert 

capability as well as via a phone app, MyShake, developed 

by the University of California, Berkeley. This public testing 

phase was enabled by upgraded seismic networks and data 

analysis systems and working with State emergency managers, universities, and pilot partners who now have 

systems actively using USGS-generated ShakeAlerts to develop life-saving products. In 2020, USGS and its partners 

are continuing to expand these applications in coordination 

with State agencies in Washington, Oregon, and 

California.220

Establishing PCAST 

In October 2019, President Trump issued an Executive 

Order reestablishing the President’s Council of Advisors on 

Science and Technology (PCAST).

221 In June 2020, PCAST issued its inaugural report recommending actions to 

strengthen U.S. leadership in IotF.222 

Additionally, under President Trump’s leadership, a first-ofits-kind advisory group consisting of students, postdoctoral scholars, and early career professionals (SPEC) 

was created as part of PCAST. SPEC was initiated in 2020 to 

integrate the perspectives of students at 2-year and 4-year 

institutions, graduate students, and early career professionals in STEM fields into PCAST’s work. As future leaders of 

America’s research enterprise, SPEC members contribute 

their unique perspectives into the current challenges and 

opportunities they face in STEM fields, and they offer input 

to PCAST on how to strengthen STEM education and STEM 

as a career field. 

The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) Issues its First Report:

“Recommendations for Strengthening American Leadership in Industries of the Future”

In June 2020, PCAST issued its inaugural report. In it, PCAST recommended bold actions to help ensure continued

American leadership in Industries of the Future. The three pillars underpinning these actions are:

1. Enhancing multi-sector engagement in research and innovation. Federal agencies need to take full advantage of 

their administrative authorities to partner with industry and academia in new and innovative ways, particularly to 

ensure the effective transition and translation of early-stage research outcomes into applications at scale. In the 

area of AI, this includes establishing a joint AI Fellow-in-Residence program, AI Research Institutes in all 50 

States, National AI Testbeds, R&D, and several other actions. 

2. Creating a new institute structure that integrates one or more of the IotF areas and spans discovery research to 

product development. Under the second pillar, PCAST recommends establishing a new type of world-class, multisector R&D institute. The goal of these “IotF Institutes” is to catalyze innovation at all stages of R&D—from discovery research to development, deployment, and commercialization of new technologies.

3. Creating new modalities for ensuring the availability of a qualified, diverse IotF workforce. Achieving success 

with the first two pillars of this report rests on the Nation’s ability to strengthen, grow, and diversify its STEM 

workforce at all levels—from skilled technical workers to researchers with advanced degrees. 

The principles and recommendations in the PCAST report are interconnected and mutually reinforcing, designed to 

bridge these pillars and harness key opportunities for the Nation. PCAST believes that the cross-sector actions they 

recommend will lay a strong foundation for sustaining U.S. discovery, innovation, and prosperity well into the future.

Caption: OSTP Director and PCAST Chair, Kelvin Droegemeier, 

and several members of PCAST at a meeting in February 2020. 

(Note not all members of PCAST are present.)

Credit:OSTP
Trump Administration Highlights: 2017–2020

48

America Joins the One Trillion Tree Initiative

On January 21, 2020, President Trump announced that to 

further protect the environment, the United States would 

join the World Economic Forum’s One Trillion Trees 

Initiative, an ambitious global effort to grow and conserve 

one trillion trees worldwide by 2030. Healthy forests support natural stream systems and watersheds, filtering 

drinking water for 180 million Americans. Our national forests are an important source of rural prosperity, providing 

forest industry jobs to more than 2.5 million Americans. The

national forests and grasslands support more than 46 million fishing visits annually, generating over $2 billion in 

revenues, supporting about 51,000 jobs, and generating 

more than $264 million in Federal taxes.223

With the strong support of President Trump and the USDA 

Forest Service, the One Trillion Trees U.S. Chapter

launched224 in August 2020 with over two dozen U.S.-based 

companies, nonprofit organizations and governments 

pledging to conserve, restore and grow more than 855 million trees by 2030.

225 In October 2020, the President signed 

an Executive Order “Establishing the One Trillion Trees 

Interagency Council.”226 The Council is “charged with developing, coordinating, and promoting Federal Government 

interactions with the Initiative with respect to tree growing, 

restoration, and conservation, and with coordinating with 

key stakeholders to help advance the Initiative.” U.S. participation in the Initiative will enhance the long-term 

resilience of national forests by planting trees and restoring 

ecosystems over the next 10 years. 

Improving Weather Modeling and Forecasting

President Trump has taken several actions to protect 

Americans’ lives and livelihoods from extreme weather 

events, drought, and other weather-related threats. Under 

the President’s leadership, NOAA launched multiple cutting-edge weather satellites. The first two of the new series 

of geostationary operational environmental satellites

(GOES), GOES-16 and GOES-17, became operational in 2017 

and 2019, respectively.227 Together, they provide faster, 

more accurate, and more detailed observations used by 

forecasters to protect the public. 

In April 2017, President Trump signed the first major piece 

of weather legislation since the early 1990s—the “Weather 

Research and Forecasting Innovation Act.”228 The legislation 

includes reforms to Federal forecasting to improve seasonal 

forecasting, monitoring and clearly communicating information about extreme weather events, and the use of 

commercial data. In August 2020, NOAA released a Request 

for Proposal (RFP) for the first purchase of space-based 

commercial radio occultation (RO) data for use in NOAA’s 

operational weather forecasts.229 The data will have a positive effect on NOAA’s forecasting capability and better 

protect lives and property.

In January 2019, President Trump signed the “National 

Integrated Drought Information Reauthorization Act,”230 revitalizing American weather programs to protect lives and 

property. The legislation directs targeted investment in 

weather research and creates the Earth Prediction 

Innovation Center (EPIC), which will unleash the private sector and academic research community to develop new and 

emerging technologies into forecast operations, improving 

NOAA’s ability to protect lives and property. 

“It has been a priority of my Administration to

promote healthy and resilient forests. I was proud to 

announce earlier this year that the United States will 

be joining the One Trillion Trees Initiative, a global 

effort to restore, grow, and better manage one

trillion trees around the world by 2030. Our efforts 

will lead to cleaner air and water, create wildlife 

habitat, and reaffirm our Nation’s commitment to 

conserving the majesty of God’s creation and the 

natural beauty of our world.” 

Donald J. Trump, President of the United States

Federal Agencies in Action: Improving Tornado 

Forecasting to Save Lives and Property

Between June 2018 and May 2020 NOAA warned the 

public about several EF-3 or greater tornado events in 

advance of any damage or loss of life. Although several 

powerful tornadoes occurred at night and in populated 

areas, NOAA’s warnings minimized loss of life for these 

events. On December 1, 2018, 29 tornadoes swept across 

Illinois—the largest late-season outbreak since 1957. 

NOAA meteorologists provided decision support two 

days in advance, working with the emergency managers who directly attributed hundreds of lives saved 

thanks to NOAA’s services.

Caption: Members of the PCAST Students, Postdoctoral 

Scholars, and Early Career (SPEC) Professionals Subcommittee 

on a virtual conference in October 2020.

Credit: Emily Rinko/SPEC
Advancing America’s Global Leadership in Science & Technology

49

In June 2019, NOAA implemented the first upgrade to the 

dynamic core of the U.S. global weather forecast model 

since 1980—the Finite-Volume Cubed-Sphere (FV3).231 This 

upgrade will drive global numerical weather prediction into 

the future with improved forecasts of severe weather, winter storms, and tropical cyclone intensity and tracking. 

Ultimately, this upgrade will boost forecast accuracy across 

the country and help the U.S. reclaim international leadership in weather prediction. 

Lastly, On October 16, 2020, the Joint Center for Satellite 

Data Assimilation (JCSDA) announced the first public, opensource release of the Joint Effort for Data assimilation Integration (JEDI) system on October 28, 2020.232 JEDI-FV3 is a 

community effort that will serve as a unified and versatile 

data assimilation (DA) system for Earth system prediction. It 

is designed for a variety of purposes, from teaching and 

learning DA fundamentals to the development and validation of new DA algorithms and observational operators, to 

leading-edge atmospheric and oceanic research, to operational weather forecasting.

Advancing Nuclear Energy Technologies

In January 2019, President Trump signed into law the “Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act” (NEIMA).233

NEIMA provides greater public clarity into the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) budgetary process and cost 

recovery. The bill requires the NRC to establish metrics and 

milestones for licensing and other regulatory actions as well 

as a regulatory framework for America’s innovators, who 

seek to develop, license, and deploy advanced nuclear technologies.234 In September 2018, President Trump also 

signed into law the “Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities 

Act,” (NEICA) the first stand-alone nuclear innovation legislation.235 The law calls for DOE to build a Versatile Neutron 

Source and to establish a National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) so that our innovators can build pre-commercial 

reactor prototypes here in America.

In August 2019, DOE announced the launch of the NRIC.

236

The NRIC will provide private sector technology developers 

the necessary support to test and demonstrate their reactor 

concepts and assess their performance. This will help accelerate the licensing and commercialization of these new 

nuclear systems.

In February 2019, DOE announced its plans to build a Versatile Test Reactor (VTR), fulfilling a requirement of NEICA.237

This capability will help accelerate the testing of advanced 

nuclear fuels, materials, instrumentation, and sensors. It 

will also allow DOE to modernize its essential nuclear energy R&D infrastructure and conduct crucial advanced 

technology and materials testing necessary to re-energize 

the U.S. nuclear energy industry. The project is being led by 

Idaho National Laboratory in partnership with five National 

Labs and industry and university partners. In September 

2020, DOE announced that it approved Critical Decision 1—

the second step in the formal process DOE uses to review 

and manage research infrastructure projects.238

In April 2020, DOE released a “Strategy to Restore American 

Nuclear Energy Leadership.”239 This strategy is the result of 

the Nuclear Fuel Working Group, established by the President in July 2019. The President recognizes that the United 

States needs a strong civil nuclear industry to ensure national security, and that the sustainability of this industry is 

tied to the entire nuclear energy supply chain. As a result, 

this strategy takes a whole of government approach to support a healthy and growing nuclear energy sector, from 

mining to the next generation of nuclear energy technology. 

Executing this strategy will help America regain its leadership position in the nuclear energy industry, protecting 

American jobs, technology, and national security.

Caption: Cutaway ofthe Versatile Test Reactor, a one-of-a-kind 

scientific user facility that will support R&Dof innovative nuclear 

energy technologies. 

Credit: Image courtesy of Idaho National Laboratory

“We will bring new opportunity to the heartland, 

new prosperity to our inner cities, and new infrastructure all across our nation. When it comes to the 

future of America’s energy needs, we will find it, we 

will dream it, and we will build it.” 

Donald J. Trump, President of the United States
Trump Administration Highlights: 2017–2020

50

Advancing Earth System Predictability

The ability to predict extreme environmental events, such 

as severe storms, floods, droughts, and winter weather, has 

enormous economic and security implications. Although 

current predictive capabilities have advanced significantly 

during the past two decades, especially for forecasts out to 

a few days, our understanding of the predictability of 

certain phenomena is limited. 

The White House highlighted Earth system predictability 

(ESP) in its FY 2021 and FY 2022 R&D Budget Priorities Memoranda.240 Since then, OSTP established an NSTC Fast Track 

Action Committee on ESP, solicited input from the community via an RFI, and engaged with stakeholders on this 

important issue. A better understanding of predictability 

will improve predictions themselves and aid in assessing 

their practical value. Further, it will help guide investments 

toward phenomena that are most predictable and thus 

yield the greatest return on taxpayer dollars.

Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation

Key research initiatives have led to the DHS S&T development of innovative digital forensics tools deployed to 

Federal, State and local law enforcement used to battle 

against perpetrators of human trafficking and child exploitation around the globe. These new technologies are a 

direct result of the January 2020 Executive Order on “Combating Human Trafficking and Online Child Exploitation”241

as well as the DHS “Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking, 

the Importation of Goods Produced with Forced Labor, and 

Child Sexual Exploitation.”242

Fostering International S&T Engagement 

Throughout the first term, the Trump Administration has 

advanced international S&T engagement in a way that 

yields maximal benefits for the American people. For example, in September 2020, the United States and Greece 

signed a new S&T Cooperation Agreement to enhance research and development collaboration between the two 

nations.243 The agreement promotes U.S.–Greece R&D activities across government agencies, universities, research 

institutions, and private sector companies from both countries. This S&T agreement represents the first such 

agreement between the United States and Greece in more 

than 40 years. 

OSTP has also represented American positions as head of 

delegation at the G20 technology ministerial meetings, 

worked with our allies to advance technology issues of mutual importance as head of delegation at the G7 technology 

ministerial meetings, assisted in the negotiation of the landmark digital trade provisions of the United States-MexicoCanada Agreement (USMCA), and has driven bilateral S&T 

engagement, including with key partners such as the UK, Japan and Ireland.244 

Caption: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (second from left) and Minister Adonis Georgiadi(second from right) sign the U.S. –

Greece Science and Technology Agreement. U.S. CTO Michael Kratsios (far left) joined Secretary Pompeo.

Credit: OSTP
51

Since coming into office, President Trump has solidified America’s standing as the most scientifically and technologically 

advanced Nation the world has ever known. This document has summarized only a small fraction of the many achievements 

made during the past 4 years by the Trump Administration and America’s extraordinary academic and private sector researchers and innovators.

The President signed into law substantial funding for R&D priorities that include industries of the future such as AI and quantum information science; space exploration; energy and the environment; national security; and health innovation and 

security. These priorities are supported by a commonsense regulatory agenda that is unleashing private sector innovation, 

through STEM education investments and workforce development aimed at leaving no Americans behind, and by enhanced 

international engagement with countries that share our values. Collectively, these efforts are creating new jobs, revolutionizing research, improving health, and enhancing economic and national security.

We live in a time of unprecedented achievement and potential but also considerable challenge as some individuals and 

governments seek to illicitly undermine our research efforts and reap the benefits of our hard work. This not only deprives 

American taxpayers the full returns on their investment, but it also erodes confidence in our research enterprise and undermines our economic and national security. To address this and other critical issues affecting our research enterprise, The 

White House launched the Joint Committee on the Research Environment, or JCORE. The goal of JCORE is to ensure our 

research environments are well defended and reflect American values. The American research enterprise should operate 

with maximum integrity, balance security with openness and international collaboration, embrace the best talent from 

every background, and minimize excessive regulations on researchers, agencies, and institutions. 

A strong, world-leading American S&T enterprise has never been more important. Since the onset of the pandemic earlier 

this year, science and technology have served as our most valuable weapons in the fight against SARS-CoV2 and COVID-19. 

Operation Warp Speed, public-private partnerships, and other decisive actions taken by the Trump Administration have 

provided American scientists, engineers, and healthcare professionals with the knowledge, tools, and technologies needed 

to understand and defeat this “invisible enemy.” President Trump’s whole-of-Nation approach to combating COVID-19 already is paying enormous dividends in the form of novel treatments, enhanced diagnostics, and several promising vaccine 

candidates, all delivered with record speed while maintaining safety and transparency. 

Despite the severe disruption caused by an unprecedented pandemic, we stand on the cusp of even more remarkable 

achievements. Innovators are leveraging decades of fundamental research discoveries to create quieter aircraft capable of 

supersonic flight. Scientists are exploring and mapping new underwater frontiers, testing the boundaries of predictability 

within the Earth system, and modeling the entire structure of a living cell. And President Trump is continuing America’s rich 

history of environmental stewardship, working to protect our land, air, and water all while increasing innovation and improving our economy. 

After reading these highlights, I hope you share my excitement about the future of America’s S&T enterprise! We have made 

tremendous progress during the President’s first term to maintain American scientific preeminence while battling a global 

pandemic. I have no doubt that the actions taken by the Trump Administration over the past four years have solidified America’s position as the global S&T leader and has laid a strong foundation for the decades to come. 

Kelvin K. Droegemeier

Director, The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
Advancing America’s Global Leadership in Science & Technology

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33 https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/announcements/072120.jsp

34 https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/trump-administration-investing-1-billion-research-institutes-advance-industries-future/ 35 https://www.state.gov/tokyo-statement-on-quantum-cooperation/ 36 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/WHQIS-Academic-Roundtable-on-Innovation-in-QIS-May-31-2019.pdf 37 https://q12education.org/

38 https://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/abi_progress_report_june2020.pdf 39 https://www.fcc.gov/auction/903

40 https://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/american_broadband_initiative_milestones_report.pdf 41 https://www.gsa.gov/forms-library/application-transportation-utility-systems-telecommunications-and-facilities-federal 42 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/presidential-memorandum-secretary-interior/, and 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/presidential-executive-order-streamlining-expediting-requests-locate-broadbandfacilities-rural-america/ 43 https://www.ntia.doc.gov/report/2020/ABI_Progress_Report

44 https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-354326A1.pdf 45 https://www.fcc.gov/auctions

46 https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/893/text; https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/statementby-the-president-36 47 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/National-Strategy-5G-Final.pdf
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48 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-securing-information-communications-technology-services-supply-chain/ 49 Protecting Against National Security Threats to the Communications Supply Chain Through FCC Programs, https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/01/03/2019-27610/protecting-against-national-security-threats-to-the-communications-supply-chainthrough-fcc-programs 50 https://www.vlada.cz/assets/media-centrum/aktualne/PRG_proposals_SP_1.pdf 51 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Research-and-Development-Priorities-for-American-Leadership-in-Wireless-Communications-Report-May-2019.pdf 52 https://www.nsf.gov/cise/advancedwireless/

53 https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=245045

54 https://advancedwireless.org/pawr-announces-first-partners-to-aerpaw-wireless-testbed/ 55 https://www.darpa.mil/news-events/2019-10-24 56 https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2206761/dod-names-seven-installations-as-sites-for-second-round-of5g-technology-testin/ and https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2376743/dod-announces-600-million-for-5gexperimentation-and-testing-at-five-installati/ 57 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Advanced-Manufacturing-Strategic-Plan-2018.pdf 58 https://www.manufacturingusa.com/news/manufacturing-usa-annual-report-delivering-value-nation 59 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-modernizing-regulatory-framework-agricultural-biotechnologyproducts/

60 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Summary-of-White-House-Summit-on-Americas-Bioeconomy-October2019.pdf

61 https://microbiomedata.org

62 https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/12/31/2019-28100/remote-identification-of-unmanned-aircraft-systems 63 https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/06/28/2019-13079/special-flight-authorizations-for-supersonic-aircraft 64 https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-x-59-quiet-supersonic-research-aircraft-cleared-for-final-assembly 65 https://www.nasa.gov/specials/X59/

66https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25646/advanced-aerial-mobility-a-national-blueprint 67 https://www.nasa.gov/uamgc 68 https://beta.sam.gov/opp/2d5302c37bb4459ca81216bd7cf51787/view

69 https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/us-secretary-transportation-announces-automated-driving-system-demonstrationgrant

70 https://www.nitrd.gov/pubs/National-Strategic-Computing-Initiative-Update-2019.pdf 71 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6783509/

72 https://www.llnl.gov/news/llnl-led-team-awarded-best-paper-sc19-modeling-cancer-causing-protein-interactions 73 https://exascaleproject.org/about/

74 https://exascaleproject.org/research/#software

75 https://www.top500.org/lists/top500/2020/06/ 76 https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/america-achieved-quantum-supremacy/ 77 https://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=298756 78 https://covid19-hpc-consortium.org/ 79 https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/6074/text 80 https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/748 81 For a summary of the R&D-related investments in the CARES Act, see: https://www.aip.org/fyi/2020/third-coronavirus-response-billincludes-research-boost 82 https://www.congress.gov/116/plaws/publ139/PLAW-116publ139.pdf 83 https://www.defense.gov/Explore/News/Article/Article/2311177/operation-warp-speed-on-track-for-end-of-year-vaccine-delivery/ 84 https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/06/16/fact-sheet-explaining-operation-warp-speed.html 85 https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/fourth-large-scale-covid-19-vaccine-trial-begins-united-states 86 https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/explaining-operation-warp-speed/index.html 87 http://covid19-hpc-consortium.org/ 88 https://www.aip.org/sites/default/files/aipcorp/images/fyi/pdf/ostp-coronavirus-response.pdf 89 https://www.state.gov/g7-science-and-technology-ministers-declaration-on-covid-19/ 90 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-modernizing-influenza-vaccines-united-states-promote-nationalsecurity-public-health/ 91 https://www.phe.gov/ASPRBlog/Pages/BlogArticlePage.aspx?PostID=370

92 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/M-20-29.pdf 93 https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-funds-study-four-states-reduce-opioid-related-deaths-40-percent-over-threeyears

94 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Health-Research-and-Development-for-Opioid-Crisis-National-Roadmap2019.pdf

95 https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/national-take-back-day-time-next-chapter-war-opioid-addiction/
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96 https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2019/09/04/trump-administration-announces-1-8-billion-funding-states-combating-opioid.html 97 https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2019/08/08/hhs-awards-nearly-400-million-to-combat-opioid-crisis.html 98 https://findtreatment.gov/

99 https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-issues-national-call-action-empower-veterans-endnational-tragedy-veteran-suicide/ 100 https://www.va.gov/PREVENTS/task-force.asp 101 https://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=5469 102 https://www.va.gov/PREVENTS/docs/PREVENTS-Supplemental-Materials-for-the-Roadmap-508.pdf 103 https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-365165A1.pdf 104 https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-and-va-team-improve-healthcare-veterans 105 https://www.ornl.gov/sites/default/files/VA%20050817.pdf 106 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/National-Strategy-for-CET.pdf 107 https://dod.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/pubs/2018-National-Defense-Strategy-Summary.pdf 108 https://www.cto.mil/modernization-priorities/ 109 https://insidedefense.com/daily-news/mda-selects-five-hypersonic-defense-weapon-system-concepts-further-development 110 https://missilethreat.csis.org/mda-reveals-new-hypersonic-defense-program/ 111 https://www.defense.gov/Explore/News/Article/Article/2372647/agency-awards-2-contracts-to-build-out-tracking-layer-of-nationaldefense-space/ 112 https://beta.sam.gov/opp/bc5905578334429a8a29c0150eb94b45/view 113 https://www.cto.mil/stem-biotech-virtual-symposium/ 114 https://www.cisa.gov/ict-scrm-task-force 115 https://www.rsaconference.com/industry-topics/presentation/come-get-your-free-nsa-reverse-engineering-tool 116 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-coordinating-national-resilience-electromagnetic-pulses/ 117 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Research-Development-Needs-For-Improving-Resilience-to-Electromagnetic-Pulses-June-2020.pdf 118 https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/geoelectric-field-map-upgrade-3d-empirical-conductivity-model 119 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Nuclear-defense-research-development-strategic-plan-2019.pdf 120 https://www.bea.gov/system/files/2020-06/defining-and-measuring-the-united-states-ocean-economy.pdf 121 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-regarding-ocean-policy-advance-economic-security-environmental-interests-united-states/ 122 https://www.whitehouse.gov/ceq/initiatives/ocean-policy/ 123 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Science-and-Technology-for-Americas-Oceans-A-Decadal-Vision.pdf 124 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/memorandum-ocean-mapping-united-states-exclusive-economic-zone-shorelinenearshore-alaska/ 125 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/20200611-FINAL-STRATEGY-NOMEC-Sec.-2.pdf 126 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/memorandum-ocean-mapping-united-states-exclusive-economic-zone-shorelinenearshore-alaska/ 127 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Ocean-ST-Summit-Readout-Final.pdf 128 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/presidential-executive-order-reviving-national-space-council/ 129 https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/heading-back-moon-mars/ 130 https://www.nasa.gov/specials/moon2mars/ 131 https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-moon-to-mars-plans-artemis-lunar-program-gets-fast-tracked-in-2019 132 https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-moon-to-mars-plans-artemis-lunar-program-gets-fast-tracked-in-2019 133 https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/spacewalks 134 https://images.nasa.gov/details-NHQ_2019_1018_all%20woman%20spacewalk 135 https://www.nasa.gov/feature/a-look-at-the-science-ahead-for-christina-koch-and-andrew-morgan 136 https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-astronauts-launch-from-america-in-historic-test-flight-of-spacex-crew-dragon 137 https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/timeline/launch/ 138 https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/mission/overview/ 139 https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/parker-solar-probe-humanity-s-first-visit-to-a-star 140 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/presidential-memorandum-launch-spacecraft-containing-space-nuclear-systems/ 141 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/National-Space-Weather-Strategy-and-Action-Plan-2019.pdf 142 https://www.ida.org/research-and-publications/publications/all/n/ne/next-step-space-weather-benchmarks 143 https://www.sworm.gov/publications/2019/5.30.19%20Space%20Weather%20Federal%20Operating%20Concept_Final_508_Complete.pdf

144 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/memorandum-space-policy-directive-5-cybersecurity-principles-space-systems/ 145 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-strengthening-national-resilience-responsible-use-positioningnavigation-timing-services/ 146 https://www.nist.gov/pnt, and https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/nistir/8323/draft 147 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/space-policy-directive-2-streamlining-regulations-commercial-use-space/
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148 https://www.space.commerce.gov/commerce-department-releases-new-regulations-to-support-u-s-leadership-in-commercial-satellite-remote-sensing-industry/ 149 https://www.space.commerce.gov/category/reg-reform/export-controls/ 150 https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-19-81A1_Rcd.pdf; https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-17-122A1_Rcd.pdf 151 http://transition.fcc.gov/ib/sd/se/ssal.xlsx 152 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/space-policy-directive-3-national-space-traffic-management-policy/ 153 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/STEM-Education-Strategic-Plan-2018.pdf 154 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Progress-Report-on-the-Federal-Implementation-of-the-STEMEducation-Strategic-Plan.pdf 155 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/presidential-memorandum-secretary-education/ 156 https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/5363 157 https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/737 158 https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/announcements/080520.jsp 159 https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=297418 160 https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/153 161 See, for example, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/FY-21-RD-Budget-Priorities.pdf, and 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/M-20-29.pdf 162 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Progress-Report-on-the-Federal-Implementation-of-the-STEMEducation-Strategic-Plan.pdf 163 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Progress-Report-on-the-Federal-Implementation-of-the-STEMEducation-Strategic-Plan.pdf 164 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/3245/ 165 https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/eta/eta20201001-0 166 https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/2353 167 https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/2353 168 https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/secretary-devos-builds-rethink-higher-education-agenda-expands-opportunities-studentsthrough-innovative-experimental-sites 169 https://www.nsf.gov/eng/futureofwork.jsp 170 https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osec/osec20191211 171 https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/trump-administration-supports-fostering-innovation-leveraging-prizes-challenges/ 172 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Federal-Prize-and-Citizen-Science-Implementation-FY17-18-ReportJune-2019.pdf 173 https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/748/text 174 https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-364006A1.pdf 175 https://www.siia.net/Press/SIIA-Partners-with-White-House-Launching-Tech-for-Learners-Supporting-US-Schools-Workforce-DuringCOVID-19-Crisis 176 https://www.nasa.gov/specials/nasaathome/index.html 177 See the original action in March 2020, https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-363137A1.pdf, and the extension in September 

2020, https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-20-1021A1.pdf 178 The Trump Administration highlighted strengthening research environments as a cross-cutting priority in the FY 2021 and FY 2021 

R&D Budget Priorities Memoranda. See: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/FY-21-RD-Budget-Priorities.pdf and 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/M-20-29.pdf 179 https://www.nextgov.com/emerging-tech/2019/05/white-house-unveils-joint-committee-invigorate-us-research-communities/156785/

180 http://thefdp.org/default/assets/File/Presentations/Schneider%20FDP%20FWS3%20Results%20Plenary%20Jan19.pdf 181 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/OSTP-letter-to-the-US-research-community-september-2019.pdf 182 https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/science-and-technology-policy-office 183 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Summary-of-JCORE-Summit-November-2019.pdf 184 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/proclamation-suspension-entry-nonimmigrants-certain-students-researcherspeoples-republic-china/ 185 https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=299700 186 https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/pappg19_1/index.jsp 187 https://www.nsf.gov/od/odi/term_and_condition.jsp 188 https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/03/10/2020-04815/reporting-requirements-regarding-findings-of-harassmentsexual-harassment-other-forms-of-harassment 189 https://nexus.od.nih.gov/all/2019/06/14/how-to-notify-nih-about-a-concern-that-sexual-harassment-is-affecting-an-nih-fundedactivity-at-a-grantee-institution/ 190 https://www.nsf.gov/od/odi/awardee_civil_rights/index.jsp 191 https://www.nasa.gov/offices/odeo/NASA-anti-harassment-program 192 https://eventhorizontelescope.org/press-release-april-10-2019-astronomers-capture-first-image-black-hole 193 https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=298276
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194 https://eventhorizontelescope.org/funding-support 195 https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=298276 196 https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/60820500/Patents_presentations_papers/WBT_Showcase.pdf 197 https://directorsblog.nih.gov/2019/10/31/dare-to-dream-the-long-road-to-targeted-therapies-for-cystic-fibrosis/ 198 https://www.nationalacademies.org/event/11-18-2019/docs/D70FA2F828A37B2791C0EA0DF9D6A25B53AD1C230FF0 199 https://www6.slac.stanford.edu/news/2019-02-05-untangling-strange-phenomenon-both-helps-and-hurts-lithium-ion-battery-performance

200 https://www.phe.gov/ASPRBlog/Pages/BlogArticlePage.aspx?PostID=370 201 https://www.darpa.mil/program/pandemic-prevention-platform 202 https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb20201/u-s-r-d-performance-and-funding#performance-and-funding-trends 203 https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/SpecialPublications/NIST.SP.1234.pdf 204 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/PresidentsManagement-Agenda.pdf 205 https://www.nist.gov/tpo/faqs 206 https://www.uspto.gov/about-us/news-updates/united-states-issues-patent-number-10000000 207 https://www.uspto.gov/about-us/news-updates/us-patent-and-trademark-office-announces-revised-guidance-determining-subject 208 https://www.uspto.gov/about-us/news-updates/remarks-director-iancu-new-york-intellectual-property-law-association 209 https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-launches-new-lab-partnering-service 210 https://federallabs.org/news/flc-business-30-is-here 211 https://www.energy.gov/technologytransitions/articles/first-innovationxlab-summit-brings-tech-experts-together 212 https://www.energy.gov/articles/department-energy-announces-conner-prochaska-director-office-technology-transitions 213 https://www.performance.gov/CAP/lab-to-market/ 214 https://uidp.org/new-report-from-ostp-uidp-symposium-broadening-university-and-industry-engagement/ 215 The Trump Administration highlighted Earth system predictability in in the FY 2021 and FY 2021 R&D Budget Priorities Memoranda. 

See: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/FY-21-RD-Budget-Priorities.pdf and https://www.whitehouse.gov/wpcontent/uploads/2020/08/M-20-29.pdf 216 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Signed-ICAMS-Charter.pdf 217 https://www.congress.gov/115/plaws/publ25/PLAW-115publ25.pdf 218 https://www.nist.gov/si-redefinition/kilogram 219 https://www.usgs.gov/news/all-systems-go-first-statewide-testing-shakealert-united-states?qt-news_science_products=1#qtnews_science_products

220 https://www.shakealert.org/ 221 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-presidents-council-advisors-science-technology/ 222 https://science.osti.gov/-/media/_/pdf/about/pcast/202006/PCAST_June_2020_Report.pdf 223 https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/national-forests-grasslands/water-facts 224 https://us.1t.org/ 225 https://www.americanforests.org/af-news/u-s-corporations-governments-and-nonprofits-join-global-push-for-one-trillion-trees/ 226 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-establishing-one-trillion-trees-interagency-council/ 227 https://www.goes-r.gov/ 228 https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/353 229 https://www.space.commerce.gov/noaa-seeks-proposals-for-first-operational-ro-data-buy/ 230 https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/2200/text 231 https://www.noaa.gov/media-release/noaa-upgrades-us-global-weather-forecast-model 232 https://www.jcsda.org/news 233 https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/512 234 https://www.epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2019/1/what-they-are-saying-the-nuclear-energy-innovation-and-modernization-act 235 https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/97 236 https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/energy-department-launches-new-demonstration-center-advanced-nuclear-technologies 237 https://www.energy.gov/ne/nuclear-reactor-technologies/versatile-test-reactor 238 https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/energy-department-green-lights-critical-decision-1-versatile-test-reactor-project 239 https://www.energy.gov/strategy-restore-american-nuclear-energy-leadership 240 The Trump Administration highlighted Earth system predictability in in the FY 2021 and FY 2021 R&D Budget Priorities Memoranda. 

See: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/FY-21-RD-Budget-Priorities.pdf, and https://www.whitehouse.gov/wpcontent/uploads/2020/08/M-20-29.pdf 241 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-combating-human-trafficking-online-child-exploitation-unitedstates/

242 https://www.dhs.gov/publication/strategy-combat-human-trafficking-importation-goods-produced-forced-labor-and-child 243 https://gr.usembassy.gov/u-s-greece-science-and-technology-agreement-fact-sheet/ 244 https://www.state.gov/joint-statement-of-chief-science-advisors-of-the-republic-of-ireland-the-united-kingdom-of-great-britainand-northern-ireland-and-the-united-states-of-america/