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Harnessing Science and Technology for America's Economic Future National and Regional Priorities (1999) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
Pages 5-8

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From page 5...
... A steering committee co-chaired by William Spencer, chairman of SEMATECH, and Dick Thornburgh, former governor of Pennsylvania and U.S. attorney general, planned and convened the forum, which was held February 2-3, 1998 (see Appendix A for forum agenda)
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From page 6...
... Some forum participants questioned whether the United States as a nation is taking the appropriate actions needed to sustain science- and technology-based growth over the long term. Ensuring that the United States possesses the flexible, highly skilled human resource base required for science- and technology-based industries of the next century is one critical task.
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From page 7...
... THE POLITICAL CONTEXT Science and technology policy debates of the mid 1990s have focused on two issues. The first is the appropriate federal government role in funding science and technology specifically aimed at enhancing economic performance; disagreement over this role has been reflected in heated partisan debate about the Department of Commerce Advanced Technology Program and other specific initiatives.
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From page 8...
... To be sure, other groups within and outside the NRC, National Academy Sciences, and National Academy of Engineering have recognized the importance of these issues and are making contributions.2 The Council on Competitiveness and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) , for example, convened an innovation summit not long after the forum event.3 Groups in the Senate and House of Representatives also are studying options for the future of science and technology policy.4 The steering committee expects that the forum and this report will contribute to the debate by identifying key challenges that need to be met if growth is to be sustained into the first decades of the next century and by outlining suggested new approaches that take account of the roles and capabilities of various participants in the U.S.
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