Rising to the Challenge: U.S. Innovation Policy for the Global EconomyThe culmination of the National Academies international study of Comparative National Innovation Policies: Best Practice for the 21st Century, this report provides a striking account of the challenges and opportunities faced by the United States in the face of global competition for the next generation of innovation. The report argues that today's new paradigm challenges the traditional assumptions that have guided U.S. policymaking for decades regarding America's ability to fully capitalize on its investments in science and innovation. The report gives an exceptionally comprehensive overview of the programs and policies in place around the world to build innovation-led economies and describes the deteriorating U.S. position in this international competitive landscape. A key argument is that the United States needs to renew its investments in the "pillars of U.S. innovation" if we are to capture economic value from our investments in research. Similarly, the United States needs to devote far more attention to understanding what the rest of the world is doing to nurture their economies. At the same time, the United States needs to make greater efforts to capture the outputs of U.S. investments in innovation, that is, to provide an environment that encourages the retention and growth of high-tech businesses and the high-quality jobs they bring. America's future economic growth and national security depend on renewed investments and sustained policy attention.Related Work from the Step BoardBuilding the 21st Century: U.S.-China Cooperation on Science, Technology, and InnovationAs part of the review of Comparative National Innovation Policies: Best Practice for the 21st Century, the Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy (STEP) convened a major U.S.-China symposium in Washington, DC to explore common challenges, best practice in innovation policy, and opportunities for cooperation between China and the United States in areas such as clean energy, information technologies, and health research. With participation from senior officials representing key Chinese government agencies such as the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and matching representation from the U.S. government and industry leaders, the symposium provided an opportunity to learn about Chinese policy in key industrial sectors and for developing their innovation infrastructure and an opportunity to explore areas of mutual interest where international cooperation could prove beneficial. This report includes a summary of the symposium presentations and an introduction examining the issues and placing them in a broader context.Understanding Research, Science and Technology Parks: Global Best PracticesIn cooperation with the Association of University Research Parks, the Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy (STEP) convened a major international symposium to examine the role of S&T parks as sources of innovation and regional growth and their contributions to government missions and the commercialization of university research. Convened as part of the STEP Board review of Comparative National Innovation Policies: Best Practice for the 21st Century, this-symposium convened leading figures from governments, universities, and science and technology parks, both from the United States and around the world, to examine a broad range of S&T parks, including both university- and laboratory-based parks as well as the large-scale industrial models often undertaken in Asia and Europe. The event benefited from the participation of U.S. Senators Mark Pryor and Jeff Bingaman, who described their legislative initiatives to encourage the development of S&T parks here in the United States. This report includes a summary of the symposium presentations, an overview of the academic literature by Albert Link of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and an introduction reviewing the scope, needs, challenges, and best practices of major international S&T parks.Advisers to the Notion on Science, Engineering, and MedicineThe nation turns to the National Academies-National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council-for independent, objective advice on issues that affect people's lives worldwide. national-academies.org
