May 22, 2013
The business, higher education, and scientific and engineering communities greatly appreciate efforts by the Congress and the current and past Administrations to respond to issues raised in the National Academies' 2007 report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm. Driven in large part by Congressional approval of the America COMPETES Acts of 2007 and 2010, there has been some progress toward achieving the goals set forth in that report. However, there is still much to do, and, despite the tremendous fiscal challenges currently facing the nation, now is not the time for us to back away from our commitment to increasing the productivity of our national science and technology enterprise. Indeed, maintaining our commitment is critical if the United States is to successfully compete, prosper, and be secure in the global community of the 21st century. With this in mind, we have delineated the following set of principles for consideration by the 113th Congress as it drafts legislation to reauthorize key federal research agencies and the America COMPETES Act.
I. Funding for Science and Engineering
The National Academies' report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm, and both the America COMPETES Acts of 2007 and 2010, set goals and established funding targets aimed at doubling funding for key federal research agencies within seven years. We recognize the difficulty of achieving the doubling goal in the current fiscal environment, but we believe that any new bill to reauthorize the America COMPETES Act should:
II. Education and Workforce
Maintaining and promoting scientific literacy for all to prepare our young people for 21st century jobs and citizenship, and strengthening the pipeline of scientists and engineers who will propel science and innovation forward, were essential goals of the Rising Above the Gathering Storm report and of previous America COMPETES Acts. Maintaining and enhancing our STEM literacy and talent base is essential to continuing U.S. scientific, technological and economic global leadership. To this end, we believe that a bill to reauthorize COMPETES should:
III. Research Excellence and Opportunity
The U.S. system of scientific research has been tremendously successful throughout the years because: 1) unlike in many other countries, it has remained insulated from political pressures and interference; 2) key scientific focus areas have been determined by federal agencies and guided by the scientific community through a strong system of merit review and advisory committees; and 3) research results have been widely distributed and accessible. We urge that any bill to reauthorize the America COMPETES Act take steps to:
Principles Developed By:
Norman R. Augustine, Retired Chairman and CEO, Lockheed Martin Corporation
Craig R. Barrett, Retired CEO and Chairman of the Board, Intel Corporation
Wes Bush, Chairman, CEO and President, Northrop Grumman Corporation
Brian K. Fitzgerald, Chief Executive Officer, Business-Higher Education Forum
Alan I. Leshner, Chief Executive Officer, American Association for the Advancement of Science
Peter McPherson, President, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities
Hunter R. Rawlings III, President, Association of American Universities
Richard Templeton, Chairman, President and CEO, Texas Instruments Incorporated
Charles M. Vest, President, National Academy of Engineering
Deborah L. Wince-Smith, President and CEO, Council on Competitiveness
Endorsing Organizations (as of May 20, 2013):
American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for Dental Research
American Association of Physics Teachers
American Astronomical Society
American Chemical Society
American Council on Education
American Educational Research Association
American Institute of Biological Sciences
American Mathematical Society
American Physical Society
American Psychological Association
American Society for Engineering Education
American Society of Agronomy
American Society of Civil Engineers
American Society of Plant Biologists
American Sociological Association
American Statistical Association
ASME
Association of American Medical Colleges
Association of American Universities
Association of Population Centers
Association of Public and Land-grant Universities
Banning Science and Technology Center, Inc
Boise State University
Boston University
Business Higher Education Forum
California Institute of Technology
Campaign for Environmental Literacy
Columbia University
Computing Research Association
Consortium for Ocean Leadership
Consortium of Social Science Associations
Council on Competitiveness
Crop Science Society of America
Ecological Society of America
Emory University
Energy Sciences Coalition
Entomological Society of America
Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences
Federation of Materials Societies
Florida State University
Geological Society of America
Georgia Institute of Technology
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
Indiana University
Information Technology Industry Council
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc
International Economic Development Council
Ioxus, Inc.
Materials Research Society
Mathematical Association of America
Minnesota State University - College of Science, Engineering and Technology
National Academy of Neuropsychology
National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc.
National Association of Colleges and Employers
National Association of Marine Laboratories
National Ecological Observatory Network
National Science Teachers Association
Natural Science Collections Alliance
New York University
North Carolina State University
Northern Illinois University
Northrup Grumman
Pathways into Science
Population Association of America
Princeton University
Psychonomic Society
Reed Elsevier Inc.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Research!America
Semiconductor Industry Association
Skidaway Institute of Oceanography
Society for Personality and Social Psychology
Soil Science Society of America
South Dakota State University
Southeastern Universities Research Association
State University of New York
STEM Education Coalition
Task Force on American Innovation
Texas Instruments Incorporated
The Ohio State University
The Optical Society
The Science Coalition
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of Texas System
Thurgood Marshall College Fund
University at Buffalo
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
University of California System
University of California, Davis
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Irvine
University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Francisco
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of Chicago
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Delaware
University of Florida
University of Idaho
University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Kansas
University of Maryland
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota
University of Missouri
University of New Mexico
University of Oregon
University of Pittsburgh
University of Tennessee
University of Virginia
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Vanderbilt University
Washington State University
Washington University in St. Louis
West Virginia University
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
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