The American Competitiveness Initiative, Rising Above the Gathering Storm and other stories from the House

Thanks to the wise decision (yes! It was a conscious choice!) Aaron Sorkin’s West Wing, I know what the State of the Union now means. After meeting with the House Committee on Science and Technology, I heard a few phrases that seemed to raise my curiosity.

The American Competitive Initiative covers all bills and programs that help the US be more competent in the increased competition that America and is facing from skilled workforce from the East. The ACI proposed doubling the budgets of the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Standards and Technology laboratory programs, and then Department of Energy’s Office of Science over the course of 10 years. We are obviously talking of several billion dollars.

It’s no secret that countries like China and India (and soon hopefully Pakistan!) give the American system of Education a run for its money when it comes to technical studies. ‘Rising above the Gathering Storm’ was a report published in 2005 by the National Academy of Sciences recommending increased investment in research and education. It was on the basis of the recommendations of this report that the then chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology hosted a day-long innovation summit at the Department of Commerce that brought together more than 50 chief executives and university presidents to discuss the Nation’s economic challenges with top Administrative officials, including secretaries of Education, Energy, Commerce and Labor.

Rise Above the Gathering Storm.. Sounds like the House plays a somewhat reactive role in policy formulation rather than being more aggressively proactive. The ‘storm’ has already gathered.

Bills can take anywhere from 1 to a few years to make it down to the approval/disapproval process, which seems strange to begin with. But then, working with Government regardless of country, is pretty consistent. The only difference I can make out in this case would be the fact that since most things are virtual, the paperwork has lesser chances of being misplaced. But it is all about the money. Most departments/agencies get readjusted budgets give or take a few million. The nature of working at the federal level just seems to be to stand out so you don’t get lost in the multitude of paperwork that has to come in.

Just wanted to make a note for Marcelo (Brazil) here – Last year, the committee worked with a research regime to help promote the development of nanotechnology, which was estimated by the National Science Foundation to become a $1 trillion industry within a decade. Recognizing the huge economic potential of Nanotechnology, the committee has authored something known as the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (2003) which authorized increased funding and established a coordinated interagency program to carry out nanotechnology research.