This is the technical appendix for the report "From Insights to Impact: Fostering Innovation through Texas" which examines the current national landscape of higher education research and development to help gauge Texas' current position and identify opportunities to drive further innovations into the future. This appendix includes the…

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…

In 2005, West Virginia science and education leaders developed a strategic plan entitled: "Vision 2015: The West Virginia Science and Technology Strategic Plan." The plan is comprised of five (5) target areas for infrastructure development, with 14 goals for action by designated leaders from higher education, state government, and…

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…

This paper describes the goals, pedagogical system, and educational outcomes of a three-semester curriculum in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The sequence takes engineering students with no formal MEMS training and gives them the skills to participate in cutting-edge MEMS research and development. The evolution of the curriculum from…

As the country emerges from the recession, the Government of Canada must make difficult but critical decisions about where to invest public resources. Federal investments in research are overwhelmingly directed to pure or discovery research, with little support to applied research tied to commercialization. Innovation for the marketplace and the…

The authors, present and recent presidents of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), discuss that organization's endorsement of federal funding for long-term, large-scale educational research and development and its insistence that current competition for funding be both fair and open. (GC)

All research intensive universities (RIU's) want to expand their scope of operations. Research performance is a key driver of institutional reputation which underpins a university's ability to generate revenues from all sources. Achieving an accelerating rate of growth of the virtuous cycle, in which increasing research performance enhances…

An analysis of how the government can and cannot use research and development (R&D) policy to improve the nation's industrial posture suggests four guidelines for federal R&D policy. These guidelines are outlined and discussed. Areas analyzed include federal role; competition from Japan; support for university research, immigration policy,…

This paper analyses changing approaches to system-level governance in Canadian post-secondary education from 1995-2006. A review of major policy initiatives reveals a shift in provincial and federal government roles in and approaches to the coordination of post-secondary education. The federal government has strategically invested in…

This digest of key science and engineering indicators draws primarily from the National Science Board's two-volume "Science and Engineering Indicators, 2008" report. The digest serves two purposes: (1) to draw attention to important trends and data points from across the chapters and volumes of "Science and Engineering Indicators, 2008," and (2)…

The first session of the 100th Congress has been transitional for national research and development policies because of the emergence of competitiveness as a major theme in American politics, the formation of a broad-based university-corporate alliance for lobbying, and growing public awareness of the potential commercialization of technology.…

Twelve proposed priorities, drafted by the Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement, will dictate the aims and lines of inquiry of research centers whose contracts will expire next year. The new competition is especially large because the contracts for 14 of the 21 present centers expire. (MLW)

This six-chapter report is designed to provide a background against which the U.S. Congress can evaluate specific policy initiatives in the innovation area. Chapter I, an introduction, considers the potential for increased innovation and the government role, focusing on R&D investments and private-sector incentives. Chapter II discusses the links…

Criticisms of the federal system of research funding, in which priorities among disciplines are set in a competitive and political environment, are outlined. Policymakers are challenged to allocate resources in such a way that economic performance is improved without restricting the freedom of individual scientists to set research directions.…