Strengthen Science and Technology

[ 30 ] asia policy “Asian governments have taken a variety of positive steps to foster national technological capabilities…at a time when alarm is increasing regarding the readiness of the United States to face an innovation-driven economic future.” • Strengthen Science and Technology Richard P. Suttmeier Observers of global trends have called attention to what Dieter Ernst has called a “new geography of knowledge” in which capabilities in scientific research and technological innovation have diffused beyond the traditional centers of excellence in North America and Europe, with Asia becoming especially important. Asian governments have taken a variety of positive steps to foster national technological capabilities, and Asian students are demonstrating an aptitude and desire for studying science and engineering. The trend lines of R&D expenditures, numbers of scientists and engineers, patents, and professional publications are rising rapidly in Asia, with the rate of change in China being especially notable. These developments come at a time when alarm is increasing regarding the readiness of the United States to face an innovation-driven economic future. Despite many signs that U.S. superiority in research and innovation continues, the native-born science and engineering workforce is aging, math and science education is in crisis, and American students seem uninterested in pursuing careers in science and engineering. Although the United States continues to be the world leader in spending on R&D, patterns of expenditure in both business and government have become uncertain. Innovation-based competitiveness lies at the heart of economic revitalization, yet the crushing new budget burdens imposed by the financial crisis will severely constrain the discretionary spending needed to realize this revitalization. Thus, a new “geography of finance” (in Ernst’s terms) complicates responses to the new geography of knowledge, reminding us of the inseparability of Asia policy and economic revitalization. As the United States considers how to deal with rising Asian technopower , a number of interrelated issues must be considered. Competition for talent u Due to the relative underdevelopment of research and education conditions in Asia, and the superiority of those richard p. suttmeier is Professor of Political Science, Emeritus, at the University of Oregon. He can be reached at . [ 31 ] special roundtable • advising the new u.s. president conditions in the United States, the United States has long been a magnet for science and engineering talent from Asia. But, as a result of policies promoting research and education being pursued by Asian governments, the advantage once possessed by the United States is less clear. As Asian students seek advanced degrees in their own countries; as generous research support from Asian governments makes the salaries, equipment, and facilities in Asia competitive with those in the United States; and as economic conditions lure Asian technical entrepreneurs to invest their energies in home markets with remarkable growth opportunities, the transPacific competition for talent will intensify. Immigration u Competition for talent moves immigration policy to the center of the economic revitalization agenda, as illustrated by the concerns of U.S. high technology companies in their efforts to recruit highly skilled Asian immigrants. Although some progress has been made in reconciling the U.S. tradition of the free movement of people with the security concerns expressed in tightened visa policies post–September 11, problems remain. Asian scientists are often unable to get visas in time for important professional meetings, for instance, and this has not only produced considerable antipathy towards the United States in foreign technical communities but has also led U.S. companies and professional societies to convene their activities outside of the United States. Less than welcoming immigration policy has not helped in the competition for talent. Export controls u The new administration will want to reassess whether controls over high technology exports hit the right balance between the promotion of trade in industries where the United States enjoys comparative advantage and the protection of strategic technologies in the face of Asian security challenges. Special attention should be given to “deemed exports,” or the movement of technology acquired by foreign researchers who participate in the work of U.S. companies, universities, and government laboratories, an area of policy that generated much controversy during the Bush administration. The recently released report from the National Research Council, Beyond...