President Joe Biden virtually attends a meeting on the creation of useful incentives for semiconductor manufacturing (CHIPS) for America Act, at the South Court Auditorium of the White House on July 25, 2022 in Washington, DC. The meeting was held to allow President Biden to hear from CEOs and union leaders about how funding for computer chip manufacturing would impact them.
Photo by Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images
The $ 280 billion CHIPS and Science Act sets aside a lot of money, you guessed it, those high-demand semiconductor chips. But a good part of that fund is devoted to the advancement of scientific research in various areas.
This could mean big things for the National Science Foundation. Over the course of five years, $ 81 billion could go to the organization, the largest increase in funding the NSF has seen since it was created in 1950.
“This would essentially spark a new era of [science, technology, engineering and math] in America through research and technology, with STEM education and training, creating jobs and expanding the geography of innovation to accelerate discovery. science with a huge impact, “said the director of the foundation, Sethuraman Panchanathan.
Marketplace’s Sabri Ben-Achour spoke to Panchanathan about what this significant increase in funding could mean for the future of science research and innovation at the NSF. The following is an edited transcript of their conversation.
Sabri Ben-Achour: So, $ 81 billion over five years. What will this translate into at the National Science Foundation?
The NSF’s DNA
Sethuraman Panchanathan: First of all, the CHIPS and Science Act 2022 is historic bipartisan legislation. I just want to point out that it’s not just about chips, it’s about unlocking investments in American science and technology that will drive our economy and national security for decades to come. So when we talk about the $ 81 billion in five years, that would essentially spark a new era of STEM in America through research and technology, with STEM education and training, creating jobs and expanding the geography of innovation. to accelerate scientific discovery for tremendous impacts.
Ben-Achour: There was some disagreement when this money was negotiated over the kind of science it should fund. You know, there is like the general basic stuff, science for the sake of science, that NSF is known for, versus focusing on science used in industry, used in technology, with clear economic application. On the same subject : The ANR program expands undergrad opportunities for science, ag learning. In the end, what kind of science will this money be used for?
Panchanathan: You know, that’s a great question. When I talk about NSF, if you look at NSF’s past seven decades of travel and what it has made possible for our nation, I often describe it as NSF’s DNA. Like a DNA that has two intertwined and highly synergistic strands. One of those trends you talked about that NSF makes possible and is known for is curiosity-driven, discovery-based exploration. At the same time, NSF has also made possible use-inspired and solution-focused translations or innovations across the other strand. These, as I said before, are highly synergistic and symbiotic. In other words, explorations make fantastic innovations possible. But the innovations, in turn, make even more explorations possible. There are many, many examples of this when looking at the journey of science and technology. And so, with this investment, NSF will unleash both curiosity-driven research and use-inspired, solution-focused research. But most of all, it will make incredible talent possible in the broad geography of our nation, in the broad socioeconomic demographics of our nation, in the rich diversity of our nation. Because we know that talent and ideas are democratized and are everywhere. And we want to make sure that talent everywhere is stimulated, inspired, motivated and brought to life.
Ben-Achour: $ 20 billion has been set aside for something that was recently created at the NSF and called the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships. What is that? What will it do?
Panchanathan: Technology, innovation partnerships will quickly translate the fantastic curiosity-driven research ideas and innovations that NSF is making possible across our nation through our investments. And working in partnership with the industry, this is a cross-cutting direction that harnesses the new ideas that are emerging from all directions at NSF – this was the first new direction in our 31 years at NSF – and at the same time energizing more new ideas and therefore the future of the future of industries could be vibrant and robust across our nation. But the most important thing TIP will do will not only enable innovation everywhere across our nation, but also that talent everywhere will be motivated, inspired, nurtured and brought to life. Whether it is community colleges, tribal colleges, institutions serving minorities, as well as other research institutes, this will make possible the ideas that are emerging from all these places, thus making possible the talent that will be cultivated throughout the nation, which will ensure a vibrant future for our nation.
Ben-Achour: Will this result in more marketable products and business innovations that will actually reach the market?
It’s not a done deal
Panchanathan: It will make possible, yes, absolutely, more innovations translated into technologies that can then be the result of the enrichment of new companies or existing companies, it will certainly make it possible. But this will also make possible solutions to some major challenges we face, such as climate change or the pandemic we have just emerged from. If you look at the speed with which scientific and technological innovations have been helping at this COVID time, you will see the potential for us to be much more resilient to pandemics, much more resilient to natural hazards. To see also : The WHA report shows that patients treated for multiple and complex health conditions account for 13% of Washington’s health care costs.. And to ensure that the great global challenges of the future are not addressed as they happen, but in a much more proactive way, by configuring ourselves to be ready for any eventuality, we will be able to ensure that we are solving these problems through fantastic ideas and talent. which NSF will make possible across our nation.
Ben-Achour: Sometimes with Congress there is a difference, let’s say, between passing a bill and actually sending checks when the time comes. Are you worried that this money will actually materialize?
Panchanathan: This is a very good question. This bill authorizes funding, this is the first step. Clearly, the authorization must be followed by appropriations. And we look forward to working with Congress and the administration to ensure that clearance brands are achieved through appropriate appropriations, so that talent and ideas can be unleashed with speed and scale. And in this time of global competition we are not missing a beat and are at the forefront of competitiveness and, more importantly, what we do is ensure social and economic prosperity everywhere.
Ben-Achour: Ultimately, it’s about global competition on innovation and economic prosperity. Do you see this as a push forward for the United States in that competition?
Panchanathan: You know, I always say that, competition is something that motivates us, inspires us to do better, faster and be even more excellent than ourselves. Competition is often about us, rather than the competitor. I look at it from a personal point of view. I’ve always seen competition as something that makes me even better than I’ve ever been. So this moment as a nation, therefore, for me is giving us this opportunity to unleash the latent ideas, talent and innovative spirit that is permeating our entire nation. This is giving us the opportunity to exercise it in full form, and thus form the talent, the domestic talent, which is unleashed at full capacity and on a large scale. And then welcome global talent at full capacity and on a grand scale, so that in a place like America, a democracy that is vibrant with new ideas and innovation, and that the spirit is now exercised on a grand scale and full potential. This is how I look at this competition, because it motivates and inspires us to do just that.
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