R&D Funding Keeps U.S. At Forefront of Innovation

Federal support of science and technology, combined with the research
and development conducted in private industry, has enabled Americans to
explore the outer realms of space, create methods to control
environmental pollution and develop powerful new medicines.

Federal support of science and technology, combined with the research
and development conducted in private industry, has enabled Americans to
explore the outer realms of space, create methods to control
environmental pollution and develop powerful new medicines.

By making technology R&D a national priority, the U.S. federal
government has played a major role in elevating America to a leadership
position in innovation and industrial productivity during much of the
last half century.

But this leadership may be eroding, prompting concerns in legislative
and technical circles that the United States is compromising its ability
to compete in the global economy. Although President Bush has stated his
commitment to restoring U.S. competitiveness through R&D funding -
proposing $6 billion in the coming fiscal year and a total of $136
billion over the next 10 years - it is uncertain how much federal money
will be allocated to the research community.

That's because most federal funding for science and engineering comes
from the U.S. government's discretionary budget, which some members of
Congress want to restrain in an effort to control the current national
budget deficit, currently $400 billion.

In addition to dealing with the national deficit, lawmakers also must
acknowledge the pressures that Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security
exert on government budgets. According to policy officials, the
excessive government spending on entitlement programs leaves shortfalls
in other areas, including science and technology.

Myriad technology programs are at various stages of research and
development and await additional funding for maturation and refinement.
Programs requiring federal support include nanotechnology, plasma
physics, high-speed computing and other technologies that have the
potential to revolutionize industrial development and transform the 21st
century global economy.

According to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, high-level
federal funding of the nation's R&D initiatives is critical to U.S.
prosperity and global competitiveness. ASME organizes seminars and
sponsors other programs that bring together government leaders and the
technical community to discuss and debate important issues and work at
practical solutions.