The US was once the uncontested world leader in science and engineering. That’s changed, according to a federal report
A decrease in federal funding particularly affects research efforts in higher education. Federal support of basic research drives innovation. Only the federal government can make a strategic, long-term commitment to creating new knowledge that [could] to lead to new or improved technologies, goods or services,” said Julia Phillips, chair of the National Science Board’s science and engineering policy committee. “Basic research is the ‘seed corn’ of our US S&E enterprise, a global competitive advantage, and the starting point for much of our GDP growth since World War II.” The US global share of research and development has declined to 25%, according to the report. Asian countries are increasing their global share by focusing on rapid growth efforts in comparison to modest efforts by the US.
Read full article [here].
by Ashley Strickland, CNN.