The following statement on behalf of the Task Force on American Innovation http://www.innovationtaskforce.org/, may be attributed to Doug Comer, Intel Director for Technology Policy in Washington, DC, and coordinator of the Task Force on American Innovation, also based in Washington:
The members of the Task Force on American Innovation – a coalition of industry, universities, and professional societies – agree with the President's comments tonight that the country needs both strong measures to reduce federal budget deficits and increased investment in scientific research, particularly in the physical sciences and engineering. We believe strongly that both deficit reduction and these targeted investments are key to our nation's long-term economic growth and national security.
Businesses must distinguish between spending and investing. We know the difference, and we believe that government should make the same distinction. Just as companies invest in new tools, equipment, products, and people, in hopes of growing their businesses, so too government must invest in acquiring new knowledge at the frontiers of science that can lead to discoveries that will become the basis for new technologies, new industries, and high-value jobs.
Although we anticipate a serious debate on how to reduce federal budget deficits, we strongly encourage Republicans and Democrats to reach a swift bipartisan agreement to make scientific research a high priority.
The Task Force on American Innovation http://www.innovationtaskforce.org/, a coalition businesses and business organizations, scientific societies, and higher education associations http://www.innovationtaskforce.org/index.php?p=1_14, was founded in 2004 to advocate greater federal investments for basic research in the physical sciences and engineering. The group focuses on the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy Office of Science, the Department of Defense research budget, the National Institute of Standards and Technology labs at the Department of Commerce, and NASA.