Abstract
The U.S. government’s financial commitment to scientific research has significantly declined in the past few decades. Recent research has also revealed a lack of public awareness of the importance of federal research and development (R&D) funding; only one in four Americans believe that the government’s role in science is indispensable. In this paper, we argue that federal funding provides the bedrock for the U.S.’s innovation infrastructure while guiding the national research agenda to benefit society. We first examine which projects the federal government chooses to fund, concluding that federally-funded R&D focuses heavily on use-inspired basic research and supporting work which is in line with the missions of federal agencies, missions that prioritize societal needs. Next, we examine how federal science funding uniquely addresses market failures of private sector R&D while catalyzing innovation more broadly. We close by proposing specific tailored communication strategies to galvanize public excitement about science, thereby mustering sustained public support for federal R&D funding.
Highlights
The U.S government’s financial commitment to scientific research has significantly declined in the past few decades
Recent research has revealed a lack of public awareness of the importance of federal research and development (R&D) funding; only one in four Americans believe that the government’s role in science is indispensable
We first examine which projects the federal government chooses to fund, concluding that federally-funded R&D focuses heavily on use-inspired basic research and supporting work which is in line with the missions of federal agencies, missions that prioritize societal needs
Summary
The government often classifies research into three categories: basic research, applied research, and development (see Fig. 3 for official definitions) This linear model of innovation wherein knowledge is generated from basic research, expanded towards some practical use in applied research, and formalized into some technology during development only captures the first role of federal funding which is to address the lack of industry support of fundamental research. Bush was the Dean of the MIT School of Engineering and head of the Office of Scientific Research and Development during World War II; his report is widely seen has having defined America’s post-WWII research enterprise [16] This linear model of innovation is increasingly understood to be overly simplistic [17]. Experimental Development “Systematic work, drawing on knowledge gained from research and practical experience and producing additional knowledge, which is directed to producing new products or processes or to improving existing products or processes”
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