Computing Research Policy Blog


Posts categorized under: Policy

Basic Energy Research Press Event


The Task Force on the Future of American Innovation and the Science Coalition held a press conference this morning on “Fueling America’s Future”–the importance of federal funding for basic energy research. While both groups support a broad basic research agenda, this event emphasized the need for basic research in energy to solve America’s energy crisis. […]

McCain Answers Science Debate 2008


Now that Senator John McCain has supplied his answers to the Science Debate 2008 questions, we can take a look at the similarities and differences between the two candidates on a topic that could determine the United States’ competitive and economic future in the next administration. We highlighted some of Senator Obama’s answers here earlier […]

Obama Answers Science Debate 2008


Senator Barack Obama responded to fourteen science questions asked by Science Debate 2008 regarding how an Obama White House would lead the US in areas vital to our competitiveness and innovation. All fourteen questions and Obama’s answers in their entirety can be found here. Some highlights of most importance to the computing community include: Q […]

NSF Study Confirms that Federal R&D and CS Funding Decreased for Second Straight Year


The Chronicle of Higher Ed yesterday covered the release of a National Science Foundation Info Brief on the decline of U.S. funding for academic research for the second straight year, noting that NSF declares the decline “unprecedented for this data series, which began in 1972.” Though federal funding for academic research technically increased from FY […]

A Look at the Presidential Candidates Technology Agendas


Senator John McCain released his technology agenda this week. He supports some of the ideas that have high importance to the S&T community. McCain’s plan includes: Making the R&D tax credit permanent Lowering the corporate tax rate to 25% Allowing companies to write off of new equipment and technology in the first year Keeping the […]

House S&T Committee Reviews Federal IT R&D Program


As mentioned in this space on Wednesday, the House Science and Technology Committee held a hearing Thursday morning to review the federal Networking and Information Technology Research and Development program (NITRD — alternately pronounced “NIGHT-erd” or “NIGHTER-dee”), the 13 agency, $3.3 billion budget activity that represents the federal government’s investment in IT research and development. […]

CRA Board Chair to Testify at House Science and Technology Hearing


Tomorrow Dan Reed, CRA’s Board chair will testify before the House Science and Technology Committee on the state of the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) program. Dan is a part of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), which released a report last summer on the state of NITRD. […]

Title IX’s Growing Interest in Science


Last Tuesday, NYT science commentator John Tierney discussed how Congress has recently ramped up enforcement of Title IX among universities’ science departments. Will a “quota system”–an idea Tierney floats in the third paragraph of his piece–be an outcome of Title IX enforcement? So far, the increased enforcement has only consisted of periodic compliance reviews, which […]

Science Appears in Final FY 08 Emergency Supplemental, But Only Just Barely


A symbolic (and that’s about all) victory for science in managing to get included in the FY 08 Emergency Supplemental Appropriation approved by the House today, though the amounts leave a lot to be desired. Even though the funding levels are pretty anemic, at least some money appeared in the bill. The great majority of […]