President’s Council Pushes Innovation

The President’s Council of Advisors on Science & Technology (PCAST) has issued a study on the increasing role of university-industry partnerships in U.S. innovation. The study notes that two factors are responsible for this increase: declining support for basic research from the federal government and less fundamental research being performed by the industrial sector. PCAST concluded, however, that this innovation “ecosystem” is not working as well as it should because it is “inconsistent and fractured.” To enhance the collaboration between companies and universities for research and to foster more efficient innovation, the study makes a number of recommendations. These include increasing the government’s role in funding basic research, building on existing successful research partnerships, creating opportunities for researchers to move between academia and industry, and modifying tax policies that impact innovative research to reduce any existing barriers. PCAST is an advisory group from the academic and corporate communities that advises the President on research, technology, and science education.