Lieberman: Double the NSF budget

Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., is placing technological innovation front and center in his bid for the 2004 presidential campaign. If elected, Lieberman promises significant increases in government-sponsored research and development, including a doubling of the National Science Foundation's budget.

During a May 28 speech at the University of California San Diego, said he sees increased innovation as a way to beat the current economic slump. He said he predicts that vigorous innovation can increase yearly productivity by 3 percent each year, a 50 percent improvement over the current 10-year average. He also said that spending in government research and development, as a percentage of gross domestic product, has declined from 1.25 percent in 1985 to 0.7 percent in 2000.

To goose U.S. research and development, Lieberman has proposed a number of actions, including: