Leading Business, Higher Education, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Organizations Call for Supplemental Funding for Critical Research and Education Priorities

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tapping America’s Potential (TAP), a coalition of 16 of the nation’s leading business organizations, and the Task Force on the Future of American Innovation, a coalition of leading business, scientific and higher education organizations, today urged the President and the Congress to include critical funding for science and engineering research, and math and science education in the supplemental Fiscal Year 2008 spending bill that Congress will consider shortly.

“After last year’s omnibus spending bill was enacted, hundreds of talented scientists and engineers were laid off or furloughed; university programs and grants were cut; and operations at scientific user facilities were severely curtailed”

“Unless the United States begins to invest seriously in America’s capacity to innovate, U.S. technological and economic leadership will be placed at risk,” said Craig Barrett, chairman of the Intel Corp. and corporate chair of the Task Force on the Future of American Innovation. “America became an affluent nation by building an educational system and a science and technology enterprise second to none. Maintaining these essential building blocks of national prosperity is critical to our future economic leadership and the wellbeing of future generations of Americans.”

“Innovation is the key to economic success in an increasingly competitive world economy,” said John Castellani, president of Business Roundtable, a TAP founding member. “That is true for nations, individuals and companies. It is our obligation to ensure that America’s children and tomorrow’s workforce receive the education necessary to live, thrive and work in our technology-driven society.”

“After last year’s omnibus spending bill was enacted, hundreds of talented scientists and engineers were laid off or furloughed; university programs and grants were cut; and operations at scientific user facilities were severely curtailed,” said Robert M. Berdahl, president of the Association of American Universities. “This sends the wrong message to aspiring scientists, engineers and mathematicians. It is essential that critical research and education funding be restored during the current fiscal year, particularly at the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.”

TAP, the Task Force on the Future of American Innovation and over 240 other leading business, scientific and education organizations today sent letters to the President and Congressional leaders requesting supplemental funding for science and engineering research and math and science education to build the innovation capacity of the United States and boost U.S. economic competitiveness.

Copies of the letters and the list of signatories can be found here.

The Tapping America’s Potential (TAP) coalition is composed of 16 prominent business organizations that represent the largest and most innovative companies in America. In 2005, they set the goal of doubling the number of U.S. science, technology, engineering and mathematics graduates with bachelor’s degrees by 2015.

The Task Force on the Future of American Innovation, a coalition of businesses and business organizations, scientific societies, and higher education associations, was founded in 2004 to advocate greater federal investments for basic research in the physical sciences and engineering.