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Kalil on Science and Tech at the State of the Net Conf
Market forces alone are not enough to expand the research and innovation initiatives that will drive a competitive U.S. economy. To bolster the economy, science and technology policy must return to the national priority list, said Science Progress advisory board member Tom Kalil, speaking yesterday at the Congressional Intern Caucus “State of the Net” conference. Speaking on a panel entitled “POTUS 2.0 ‘09,” he noted that presidential leadership has to drive such change.
Kalil suggests that the next administration increase science funding, mobilize alternative energy technology research, fund science and math education, make R&D tax credits permanent, allow highly skilled workers to stay in the country on visas after getting advanced degrees, and provide federal funding to expand broadband access across the nation. The Internet, brought to us by federally-funded research, remains a shining example of a government initiative that fostered the right environment for private industry to capitalize on technology investments.
He went on to explain how healthcare and U.S. competitiveness in the global economy could benefit from improved information technologies. According to Kalil, the healthcare sector could use IT “to reduce administrative costs and prevent medical errors, saving as much as $77 billion,” passing on lower health costs to millions of Americans. Improving on distance-learning technologies could allow people unable to participate in the classroom setting to acquire new skills necessary to foster innovation and allow greater global competition.
Candidates, he said, need to demonstrate the “linkages in people’s minds between science, technology, and innovation” and personal issues those citizen care about. “If you view technology policy as its own ghetto, then you’re only going to reach a small audience,” he said, emphasizing that energy, innovation, education, job creation, and healthcare are intertwined with S&T policy. Future presidents can capitalize on the technological foundations that support these broader issues by “restoring integrity to U.S. science and technology policy so that decisions are made on the basis of facts and not ideology.”
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