[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 139 (Thursday, September 29, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 29, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                          U.S. SCIENCE POLICY

                                 ______


                          HON. LEE H. HAMILTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 28, 1994

  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to insert my Washington 
report for Wednesday, September 28, 1994 into the Congressional Record:


                          u.s. science policy

       Most of us probably do not realize how important science 
     is. Without scientific progress the national health would 
     deteriorate, we could not hope for improvement in our 
     standard of living or increased number of jobs, and we could 
     not have maintained our liberties against our adversaries. We 
     have many social and economic problems besetting the United 
     States. A vigorous science program can generate solutions to 
     many of these problems.


                         administration policy

       Last month President Clinton issued a national science 
     policy statement which underscores this nation's commitment 
     to maintaining world leadership in science, math and 
     engineering. The statement, the first in over 15 years, sets 
     five national goals for U.S. science policy: (1) maintaining 
     our leadership in the sciences; (2) enhancing connections 
     between science research and national goals; (3) stimulating 
     partnerships that promote investment in science and 
     engineering; (4) producing the finest scientists and 
     engineers for the twenty-first century; and (5) raising 
     scientific and technological literacy of all Americans.


                            federal funding

       Research is the building block for scientific discovery and 
     technological innovation. The White House report recognizes 
     the need to sustain strong funding levels for basic and 
     applied research. The federal government provides about two-
     thirds of U.S. investment in basic research--research 
     involved with increasing general scientific knowledge. In 
     contrast, the private sector provides most of the investment 
     in applied research--research involved with finding 
     commercial applications for scientific breakthroughs.
       An important concern is that overall U.S. investment in 
     basic and applied research has not kept pace with out 
     principal economic competitors, Germany and Japan. Total U.S. 
     support of non-defense research and development (R&D)--the 
     key source for technological innovations--is about 1.9% of 
     our Gross Domestic Product (GDP), while in Germany it is 2.5% 
     of GDP and in Japan 3% of GDP. Our overall level of 
     investment rises to 2.6% of GDP if defense-related R&D is 
     included.
       The report's long-term goal is to achieve a level of 3% of 
     GDP investment in total civilian and defense R&D, with more 
     defense dollars shifted to research into technologies with 
     both civilian and military applications. This 3% of GDP would 
     come from both government and the private sector.


                           setting priorities

       The report acknowledges the importance of setting clear 
     priorities for national science spending in the current 
     budget climate and linking priorities to agreed-upon national 
     goals. The recent deficit-reduction package places a hard 
     freeze on domestic spending over the next several years. 
     Consequently, increased federal investment in research must 
     involve shifting of resources from other domestic programs as 
     well as allocating limited science dollars in a more 
     productive manner.
       The report highlights two important science priorities: 
     science infrastructure and science education. First, it 
     underscores the need to modernize many of our country's 
     academic research facilities, and commits the federal 
     government to work with state governments and the private 
     sector to renovate and upgrade these facilities. Second, it 
     stresses the importance of educating a new generation of 
     American scientists and making young Americans scientifically 
     literate. The report concludes that scientific and 
     technological literacy and critical to the economic 
     competitiveness of our future workforce.


                        cooperative federal role

       The report seeks to promote science investment by 
     increasing private sector and foreign involvement in U.S. 
     science efforts. The private sector plays a critical role in 
     developing new technologies that will have commercial 
     applications in the marketplace. Government and the private 
     sector can also work together to improve the science and math 
     curriculum in our schools, expand research facilities in our 
     universities, and boost investment in high tech industry.
       Another way to meet the high cost of science research, 
     particularly ``big science'' research on high energy physics, 
     space exploration nuclear fusion and the like, is by pursuing 
     joint funding efforts with other countries. The end of the 
     Cold War provides us with new opportunities for 
     cooperation. The U.S., of course, should have concerns 
     about giving our international competitors unrestrained 
     access to our most advanced technologies and relinquishing 
     control over important scientific efforts. Even so, joint 
     efforts, where appropriate, can offer substantial benefits 
     to this country and its long-term economic strength.


                              Federal Labs

       The report calls for an interagency federal review of the 
     role of federal labs in supporting national goals and the 
     effectiveness of their contributions to scientific research. 
     The nation's 700-plus federal laboratories are coming under 
     closer scrutiny since the end of the Cold War. Some critics 
     suggest they should be cut back and many of their 
     scientists--over 70,000 scientists and engineers work in 
     federal labs--transfered to private research facilities.
       A more effective way to maximize their utility in the post-
     Cold War world may be through the promotion of commercial 
     partnerships with the private sector. The vast network of 
     federal laboratories continues to perform vital work for our 
     national security, particularly in defense-related areas that 
     cannot be undertaken by the private sector. A key challenge 
     is finding commercial applications for defense-related 
     technologies. The Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, for 
     example, is working with farmers to use ultrasound technology 
     to detect fibers that can contaminate wool and cotton. 
     Federal labs can provide a model for a new cooperative 
     relationship between government and the private sector in 
     promoting and applying scientific research.


                              Conclusion:

       I strongly believe that we must invest in science, both by 
     allocating more dollars from the public and private sectors, 
     and by making certain that the dollars are spent more wisely. 
     I think there is widespread agreement in Washington that we 
     are as a nation under investing in scientific research and 
     development. We must promote our sciences because they are 
     necessary for the national defense; they make our industries 
     more competitive; and they satisfy human needs.

                          ____________________