Today, the Task Force on American Innovation sent the following letter to key members of the United States Congress:

Dear Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Schumer:

The Task Force on American Innovation (TFAI) – a coalition of U.S. employers and businesses, industry trade groups, scientific and engineering societies, and university organizations supporting the federally funded U.S. science and technology (S&T) research enterprise – strongly encourages you to prioritize U.S. S&T research and research infrastructure funding within the FY22 reconciliation bill.

As you work toward finalizing a bicameral reconciliation package, we urge you to maintain funding for research and development (R&D) and related infrastructure so critical to strengthening America’s economic competitiveness and creating industries and jobs of the future. We strongly support the recent investments in research proposed by relevant House committees, including the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. These actions include, but are not limited to, increased funding for Department of Energy research and infrastructure, the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Earlier this summer, both the House and Senate recognized the importance of R&D investment with the passage of overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation in each chamber to bolster our nation’s research, innovation, and economic competitiveness, the “U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA)” in the Senate and the “NSF for the Future Act” and the “Department of Energy Science for the Future Act” in the House of Representatives. TFAI strongly supported the inclusion of funding for R&D in semiconductor technologies as authorized by the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and we continue to encourage Congress to build upon that momentum to prioritize funding for critical federal science agencies.

Right now, we have a unique opportunity to make a transformational investment in both the critical S&T research and the research infrastructure necessary to secure U.S. leadership in the development of key technologies of the future. Significant investments in these fundamental research areas within federal science agencies are necessary to drive current and next generation innovation, job growth, and prosperity in our country. Two years ago, TFAI released a report titled “Benchmarks 2019: Second Place America? Increasing Challenges to U.S. Scientific Leadership.”

The report detailed America’s waning advantage relative to other leading nations in five key areas: R&D investment, knowledge production, education, workforce and high-tech sectors of the economy and made clear that our global competitors are only accelerating their investments in these key areas of innovation.

Given the urgent need to recommit our nation to prioritizing S&T research and the increasing global competition we face in emerging technologies, we request that the final reconciliation package include the highest funding levels possible for federal S&T research and research infrastructure. To that end, we recommend at least the following under current House funding proposals:

TFAI would very much appreciate the opportunity to meet with your staff to discuss these issues and work together to support funding and related policies that make America more innovative and competitive. Please have your staff contact TFAI through our Executive Director, Stewart Young (stewart@corleydc.com), if you have any questions or require any further information.

Sincerely yours,

The Task Force on American Innovation