The U.S. Science and Technology Enterprise

The U.S.'s leadership in facilitating and capturing the economic benefits of innovation has two cornerstones: fostering broad R&D activity and creating an environment that facilitates commercial innovation of R&D results.

This strategy has drawn increasing study and emulation by other countries. Japan, the European Union and, more recently, China have made considerable progress in successfully adapting features of the U.S. innovation model in an attempt to gain parity with or even challenge the U.S. competitive edge in innovation. These and other countries -- in particular Canada and India -- have proven themselves adept at crafting incentive systems to attract direct foreign investment in development and, increasingly, applied or even basic research.

In time these incentives, combined with the improved quality of foreign university systems, could erode the U.S.'s longtime advantages in the R&D arena when companies decide where to locate and build global R&D facilities.

What is the future of R&D and innovation in the U.S.? What connection does R&D funding have to high-tech business investment in the U.S. and abroad? How will R&D funding affect economic growth in the U.S. and other nations in the decades to come?

Participants

• Dr. John Marburger
  National Director, White House Office of Science and Technology