Lieberman: Double the NSF budget
- By Joab Jackson
- Jun 02, 2003
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:
A doubling of the National Science Foundation budget An increase of agency funding for fundamental researchAn update of research equipment for American educational institutionsInvestment tax credits for using information technology to increase company productivityEliminating foreign tariffs on information technologyProviding competitive grants to colleges and universities for training more students in science and engineering
About the Author
Joab Jackson is the senior technology editor for Government Computer News.