Engineering Research And America's Future: Meeting the Challenges of a Global Economy

by National Research Council (U. S.)

• ISBN13: 9780309096423
• ISBN10: 0309096421
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-11-01
• Publisher: Natl Academy Pr

Summary

Leadership in innovation is essential to U.S. prosperity and security. In a global, knowledge-driven economy, technological innovation-the transformation of new knowledge into products, processes, and services of value to society-is critical to competitiveness, long-term productivity growth, and an improved quality of life. Preeminence in technological innovation depends on a wide array of factors, one of which is leadership in engineering research, education, and practice. A three-decade-long decline in the share of federal investment in research and development devoted to engineering and a perceived erosion of basic, long-term engineering research capability in U.S. industry and federal laboratories have raised serious questions about the long-term health of engineering research in the United States. This book illustrates the critical role of engineering research in maintaining U.S. technological leadership; documents major challenges and opportunities facing the U.S. engineering research enterprise; and offers specific recommendations for leaders in federal and state government, industry, and universities to help strengthen U.S. engineering research in the face of intensifying global competition.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary	1	(8)
Engineering Research: The Engine of Innovation	9	(3)
Challenges to Sustained Leadership	12	(1)
Imbalance in the Research Portfolio	13	(2)
Decline in Long-Term Research	15	(1)
Erosion of the Engineering Research Infrastructure	16	(1)
Endangered Technical Workforce	17	(4)
Role of Colleges and Universities	21	(3)
Discovery-Innovation Institutes: A Path Ahead	24	(6)
Conclusion	30	(1)
References	31	(4)
Annotated Bibliography	35	(6)
Committee Biographies	41