The U.S. government needs to take careful note of developments in science and engineering around the world in order to maintain America’s technological edge, according to a new report from the National Science Board (NSB).  The board is a congressionally chartered body that regularly assesses the state of science and technology at home and abroad.

The report, “Globalization of Science and Engineering Research,” was released February 19 at the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s annual meeting in San Diego.

“U.S. economic and social growth depend upon having a skilled workforce and being competitive in the global marketplace,” according to Art Reilly, senior director for science and technology policy with Cisco Systems, Inc., and chair of USCIB’s Information, Communications and Technology Committee, a member of the NSB.  “Education and innovation are critical to maintaining strengths in both of these.”

Last month, in releasing its biennial science and engineering indicators, the NSB said that “the state of the science and engineering enterprise in America is strong, yet its lead is slipping.”

The new NSB report notes that science and engineering research is becoming an increasingly internationalized, largely because governments are championing R&D as a spur to economic growth, employment, and overall social well-being.

“While increased global science and engineering research capacity holds great promise for the advancement of scientific knowledge and collaboration in S&E across international borders, the U.S. government must be attentive to developments in S&E capacity around the world and take proactive steps to maintain our nation’s competitive strength,” NSB Chairman Steven Beering, professor emeritus at Purdue University, writes in the report.

The NSB report is available at: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsb1003/?org=NSF.

Staff contact: Heather Shaw

National Science Board website

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