Following up on its January report documenting a surge of high-tech investments and competencies in China and other Asian nations, the National Science Board has issued a new report, Globalization of Science and Engineering Research. It recommends that a new cabinet-level council be formed to take stock of US innovation and competitiveness, and calls for the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to lead a government-wide evaluation of US R&D programs against those of other nations. “The US government must be attentive to developments in S&E capacity around the world and take proactive steps to maintain our nation’s competitive strength,” said Steven Beering, NSB chairman.
In a third recommendation, the board instructs NSF to focus its funding on research that is “truly transformational” and to achieve that goal by adjusting as necessary the criteria used to rank grant proposals. As the only federal sponsor of nonmission research, says the...
