Research and development spending by academic institutions totaled $89.9 billion in FY 2021, an increase of $3.4 billion (4.0%) from FY 2020 (table 1). R&D expenditures funded from federal sources accounted for $3.0 billion of the total increase. Federally funded R&D expenditures had not increased by $3 billion or more since FY 2011, when…

America is finally poised to begin to go on offense in the contest for technology leadership in the future. Both federal chambers have passed a bill purportedly aimed at elevating the competitiveness of the United States. The United States House of Representatives passed the America COMPETES Act on February 4, 2022, that now must be reconciled…

The federal government's role in PreK-12 education has long been contentious and continues to evolve. Many have written about education governance, but few have attempted to define an appropriate role for the federal government. That is the core purpose of this essay. The authors articulate a set of principles to guide the federal role in…

Despite constraints on federal resources and authority in education policy, the federal government has a pivotal role to play in identifying a compelling, high-impact focal point that aligns policy priorities at the federal, state, and local levels. The federal government could play a critical role in expanding students' access to excellent…

Innovation inducement prizes have been used for centuries. In the United States, a recent federal policy change--the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010--clarified and simplified a path by which all federal agencies can offer innovation inducement prizes, thus intensifying interest in how government agencies can most effectively design…

The United States has long thrived as a result of its ability to manufacture goods and sell them to global markets. Manufacturing activity has supported its economic growth, leading the Nation's exports and employing millions of Americans. The manufacturing sector has also driven knowledge production and innovation in the United States, by…

The level of federal support for educational research and development (R&D) has been impacted over the years by wars and other crises, school desegregation, poverty, federal legislation and people closely associated with whatever administration was in power in Washington, DC at a particular time. While some funds for educational R&D were…

The Bayh-Dole Act of 1980 expressly gave colleges, universities, and other nonprofit entities the right, which had previously been presumptively held by the federal government itself, to patent inventions resulting from federally funded research and development (R&D) activities they conduct. In the nearly three decades since the Bayh-Dole Act…

The overarching goal of the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) is to build a safer, more secure, and more resilient America by preventing, deterring, neutralizing, or mitigating the effects of deliberate efforts by terrorists to destroy, incapacitate, or exploit elements of our Nation's critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR)…

In 1980, Congress passed the Bayh-Dole Act (BDA) to allow universities, not-for-profit corporations, and small businesses to retain title to and market federally funded inventions, and to allow federal agencies to grant exclusive licenses for federally owned technology. This report to congressional committees addresses the manner in which the BDA…

Institutions of higher education perform about half of the nation's basic research. Consequently, the level, distribution, and characteristics of federal academic support are of much interest to officials at all government levels and in nongovernmental sectors. Federal legislation requires that the National Science Foundation (NSF) determine the…

This document contains the text of five hearings (July 30 and November 3-6, 1975) of the Subcommittee on Select Education of a bill authorizing the extension of appropriations for the National Institute of Education. (IRT)

The current status of three federally supported construction programs of facilities for the mentally handicapped is reviewed. The programs discussed are designed to provide assistance in the areas of: continuing research into causes and means of prevention of mental retardation, interdisciplinary training of professional personnel, and…

Educational software makers are often rebuffed by educational authorities, whose endorsements could lead to governmental stamps of approval, and thus explosive sales. But they usually get warmer receptions in the offices of the nation's school superintendents, who are, after all, their primary customers. The system was not supposed to work this…

The change in the role and responsibility of the federal government in education and educational research is traced from the creation of the Office of Education (OE) in 1867 to the National Institute of Education (NIE) in 1972. Developments discussed include the task forces of the 1960's and their recommendations, the national program of…