United States: A Strategy for Innovation

Issues in Science and Technology (Farrell and Kalil) - The true choice in innovation is not between government and no government, but about the right type of government involvement in support of innovation. A modern, practical approach recognizes both the need for fundamental support and the hazards of overzealous government intervention. The government should make sure individuals and businesses have the tools and support to take risks and innovate, but should not dictate what risks they take.

The United States proposes to strike a balance by investing in the building blocks that only the government can provide, setting an open and competitive environment for businesses and individuals to experiment and grow, and by providing extra catalysts to jumpstart innovation in sectors of national importance. In this way, we will harness the inherent ingenuity of the American people and a dynamic private sector to generate innovations that help ensure that the next expansion is more solid, broad-based, and beneficial than previous ones.
The administration is working with a wide range of stakeholders to identify the most promising ideas for implementing and further refining its innovation strategy. There are active interagency working groups on issues such as prizes and challenges, regional innovation clusters, research commercialization, spectrum reform, broadband, open government, and standards. The National Science and Technology Council is leading multiagency research initiatives in dozens of critical areas such as aeronautics, genomics, green buildings, nanotechnology, quantum information science, robotics, and information technology. Through the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, the administration is able to receive high-quality advice from the nation’s leading scientists, engineers, and innovators on issues such as health IT, advanced manufacturing, clean energy, and STEM education.

Diana Farrell is deputy director of the National Economic Council. Thomas Kalil is deputy director for policy of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and senior advisor for science, technology and innovation of the National Economic Council.