Searching for public science support
By Martin A. Apple, CSSP president
The American economy has built a century of remarkable record of growth based on the creation and incorporation of new knowledge into new products and new industries. As the federal government faces the 21st Century with a tsunami of rising demand for federal entitlements from a huge wave of retirees, and thus a more constrained set of options for new federal investment, it is important to be able to evaluate resource allocation priorities more effectively.
Federal investment in fundamental research, often misperceived as an expense, is greatly underappreciated for its high return on investment when followed over periods of a decade or longer. Recent meta-analyses of multiple studies of the return on investment or rate of return from long term investment have been posted showing a remarkable, virtuous circle that follows federal investment in fundamental research.
One
such study on a physical science, joining data and methods from the
Council for Chemical Research and the Los Alamos National Lab reported
that for every $1 billion of federal investment in chemical research
there was a corresponding $5 billion in additional and follow-up
private R&D investment and that the combination led to $10 billion
in chemical industry operating profit and an increase in the gross
national product of $40 billion. The outcome of this investment was
creation of 600,000 jobs. From this cascade, approximately $8 billion
in taxes were then paid back to the federal government for the
investment.
Another study in
the biosciences (http://www.ccrhq.org/newframe.html)
determined the rates of return for agricultural R&D, most of which was
funded or conducted by the federal government. Summing over a thousand
observations, the meta-analysis found a modal rate of return of 30% and an
average (based on numerous cases with rates over 150%) rate of return of
81%. Much of this has been from enhanced
disease resistance, rising crop yields, high value/acre foods and value-added
bioproducts, New challenges from water constraints, novel diseases and climate
uncertainties already challenge the 21st century demands for agricultural
products worldwide.
Does the public
support this area of federal resource allocation? Repeated nationwide surveys
by the National Science Foundation,
the Charlton Research Company and Research! America show widespread public
support when looked at from various perspectives. Such surveys in 2005-2006
reported these findings:
-
Sixty-nine percent believe scientific research is very important
to the U.S.
economy (an additional 28% believe it's somewhat important.)
- Fifty-eight
percent say it's very important to invest in scientific research (an additional
36% believe it's somewhat important.)
- Seventy-nine
percent agree that even if it brings no immediate benefits, basic science
research which advances the frontiers of knowledge is necessary and should be
supported by the federal government.
It is reasonable to conclude from
the above that growing federal investment in fundamental research is an
appropriate national priority and that there is widespread public support for
this direction. We should have no hesitation in informing those will make these
decisions of this relevant knowledge.
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