Research Reporter: September 2007
Research Information from the University of Michigan

Washington Update

Federal 'blue print' for science and engineering innovation and competitiveness signed into law

By Sarah Walkling
Director of Federal Relations for Research & Assistant Director of the UM Washington, D.C. office

More than two years of advocacy by universities and high-tech industry across the country paid off on August 9 when President Bush signed into law the American Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education and Science (COMPETES) Act (PL 110-69).

This ground-breaking legislation authorizes the expansion of federal efforts to promote science and mathematics education as well as engineering and scientific research and development programs.

Like all authorization bills, the America COMPETES Act provides a "blue print" to guide Congress and the Administration. The decision on actual dollars to be allocated to expand and create these programs will be made by the Congressional Appropriations Committees in the coming years.

U-M will continue to work within the coalition of universities and industry to advocate for real money to be put towards these initiatives.

Of key importance to researchers are the provisions of the law that increase funding for current federal sources of research dollars and the establishment of new programs to expand opportunities for research and innovation.

Specifically, the America COMPETES Act authorizes significant increases for the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Energy's Office of Science and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Within NIST, the law creates a new manufacturing postdoctoral fellowship. It also establishes an initiative, modeled on the Advanced Technology Program (ATP), called the Technology Innovation Program.

This new program, which will replace the ATP, better reflects global innovation competition by funding high-risk, high reward, pre-competitive technology development in coordination with universities. Its focus is solely on small and medium-sized companies.

The America COMPETES Act authorizes other new cutting-edge initiatives. It establishes a coordinated ocean, Great Lakes, coastal and atmospheric R&D program for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in consultation with NSF and NASA.

In the energy sector, it creates the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy. Modeled on the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, this new entity will address long-term and high-risk technological barriers in energy through sponsoring collaborative research and development between industry and higher education institutions.

Funding of these programs may encounter reservations from the White House. John Marburger, the president's science advisor, told the American Association of the Advancement of Science, as reported in an August 3 article, "It is a nice bill and its principles are aligned with what the president is trying to accomplish in ACI. But it substantially over-authorizes, and my concern is that there won't be enough money to fund everything."

In the months ahead, U-M will continue to deliver the message to Washington that funding of these new programs is vital.

Sarah Walkling can be reached in Washington at (202) 554-0578. Her e-mail address is: skwa@umich.edu

September 2007

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