National Academies Press: OpenBook
« Previous: FRONT MATTER
Suggested Citation:"OVERVIEW." National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine. 1992. The Government Role in Civilian Technology: Building a New Alliance. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1998.
×

OVERVIEW

The development and adoption of advanced technologies are critical factors in economic growth. Productivity and economic growth are also affected in a fundamental way by public and private savings rates, the educational skills and quality of the work force, and investment in infrastructure, among other factors. Manufacturing quality, as well as the sound management of U.S. firms, affects our ability to increase productivity and long-term standards of living. Without progress toward correcting deficiencies in these areas, the recommendations in this report will be less effective in meeting the national challenges ahead.

The government's role in civilian technology must also be revised to meet the challenges of the post-Cold War era. The United States can construct a technology strategy by leveraging national strengths in science and innovation. This can be done without detailed government direction of industrial performance or interference with the market forces that drive economic advance.

GUIDELINES FOR FEDERAL INVOLVEMENT

To be effective, certain guidelines must be followed in executing this mission. Government-industry R&D ventures with public sector support should (1) include cost-sharing provisions; (2) involve—indeed flow from—project initiation and design by private firms; (3) be insulated as much as

Suggested Citation:"OVERVIEW." National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine. 1992. The Government Role in Civilian Technology: Building a New Alliance. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1998.
×

possible from political concerns; (4) include a diversified set of R&D objectives; (5) undergo rigorous project evaluation and review; and (6) be open to foreign firms characterized by substantial contribution to U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Strengthening Government Technology Programs

The first step in building a new alliance between government and industry in civilian technology is action to strengthen federal programs that facilitate private sector research and development, and the transfer or adoption of technology. Specifically,

  • the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's role in dual-use technology development—especially in the area of information technology—should be reaffirmed;

  • a small number of the 700 federal laboratories should be selected to work with private firms in an effort to enhance technology transfer;

  • the scope of selected mission agency R&D programs should be enlarged to include pre-commercial projects;

  • funding for the Small Business Innovation Research program should be increased;

  • the Advanced Technology Program has had a promising start—although past budgets were insufficient to have a significant impact on technology commercialization—and should be evaluated, by an independent group, to determine the desirable size of the program; and

  • a new Industrial Extension Service should be created at the Department of Commerce to speed technology adoption by U.S. Industry.

Federal Responsibilities Beyond Current Programs

A new technology strategy for the post-Cold War era must include more than revisions in current federal programs. The government should act to correct the failure of private markets to support pre-commercial R&D. It should create incentives for private investment at this important point, where firms cannot appropriate (capture) the economic benefits of investment. Just as the government acts to prevent underinvestment in basic research through federal funding, policymakers must recognize and should alleviate market failure somewhat downstream in pre-commercial R&D, as well.

Promoting Investment in Pre-Commercial R&D

The most appropriate way to promote any substantial federal investment in pre-commercial R&D is through creation of a Civilian Technology

Suggested Citation:"OVERVIEW." National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine. 1992. The Government Role in Civilian Technology: Building a New Alliance. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1998.
×

Corporation (CTC). The goal of a CTC would be to increase the rate at which products and processes are commercialized in the United States. This objective can be met by stimulating investment in the pre-commercial stage of technology development with high social rates of return, where firms cannot appropriate sufficient benefits of R&D work. Higher levels of investment at this stage of the innovation process will, over the long-term, translate into stronger U.S. performance in technology commercialization.

The CTC would be a quasi-governmental organization, funded through a one-time, $5 billion congressional appropriation. A board of directors, appointed by the president and subject to Senate confirmation, would manage the corporation. The performance and operation of the CTC would undergo an independent, thorough review after the fourth and tenth years of operation.

THE RATIONALE FOR CHANGE

By many measures, the United States remains strong in technology and continues to exhibit considerable industrial strength. We are the most productive nation in the world. Manufacturing output is increasing at a rapid rate; U.S. exports of manufactured goods are growing. As measured by indicators such as patents awarded and the balance of trade in high-technology goods and services, among others, the innovative capacity of the United States remains unsurpassed.

Although the nation's technological performance, relative to its past, is strong, this does not mean that U.S. policy should continue unaltered. The technological competence of our trading partners continues to increase. We need a better balance in technology policy, one that includes support not only for basic research but also for pre-commercial R&D. Moreover, the ability of U.S. companies to adopt new technologies, an important part of economic growth, is weak. As in pre-commercial R&D, market failure is evident in this stage of the technology development process. The federal government should act to address this deficiency.

The most important reason for a new technology policy, one that builds on our comparative strength in research and innovation, centers on productivity. Long-term productivity growth rates remain lower for this country than for our foreign competitors. The United States needs to improve its performance in all areas that promote productivity growth. Investment in civilian technology to achieve higher rates of technology commercialization and adoption is one part of the solution. We should move quickly to achieve this goal.

Suggested Citation:"OVERVIEW." National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine. 1992. The Government Role in Civilian Technology: Building a New Alliance. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1998.
×
Page 1
Suggested Citation:"OVERVIEW." National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine. 1992. The Government Role in Civilian Technology: Building a New Alliance. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1998.
×
Page 2
Suggested Citation:"OVERVIEW." National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine. 1992. The Government Role in Civilian Technology: Building a New Alliance. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1998.
×
Page 3
Next: 1 THE ENVIRONMENT FOR THE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT »
The Government Role in Civilian Technology: Building a New Alliance Get This Book
×
Buy Paperback | $50.00
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Download Free PDF

As U.S. industry faces worldwide challenges, policymakers are asking questions about the role of the federal government—not only in promoting basic research but also in ushering new innovations to the marketplace. This book offers an expert consensus on how government and industry together can respond to the new realities of a global marketplace.

The volume offers firm conclusions about policy and organizational changes with the greatest potential to improve our technological competitiveness—and presents three alternative approaches for a new federal role.

The volume examines:

  • How federal involvement in technology development affects the nation's economic well-being.
  • What we can learn from past federal efforts to stimulate civilian technology development—in the United States and among our major industrial competitors.
  • How trends in productivity, R&D, and other key areas have affected U.S. performance, and how we compare to the world's rising industrial economies.

Offering guidance on one of the 1990s most important issues, this volume will be indispensible to federal policymakers, executives in industry and technology, and researchers.

  1. ×

    Welcome to OpenBook!

    You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

    Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

    No Thanks Take a Tour »
  2. ×

    Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.

    « Back Next »
  3. ×

    ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

    « Back Next »
  4. ×

    Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

    « Back Next »
  5. ×

    Switch between the Original Pages, where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.

    « Back Next »
  6. ×

    To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.

    « Back Next »
  7. ×

    Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

    « Back Next »
  8. ×

    View our suggested citation for this chapter.

    « Back Next »
  9. ×

    Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

    « Back Next »
Stay Connected!