Science funding may rise under Obama

WASHINGTON -- President Obama on Monday called for a renewed national commitment to science and education, promising to back his vision with a bully pulpit and increased funding.

"Science is more essential for our prosperity, our security, our health, our environment, and our quality of life than it has ever been before," Obama said, speaking here at the National Academy of Sciences.

Obama said the nation should spend more than 3% of its total economic output, or gross domestic product, on research and development, an increase of about $50 billion that would make the financial commitment "exceed the level achieved at the height of the space race."

"The president recognizes that science, technology and innovation, as well as science education, are critical to our economic recovery and to the long-term future of this country and of the planet," says science budget expert Al Teich of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

To applause from the audience of scientists, Obama also called for:

•A federal effort to inspire students to pursue science and engineering careers, particularly "clean energy" ones, through education and scholarships.

•The creation of an organization within the Energy Department, called the Advanced Research Projects Agency, devoted to developing "breakthrough energy technologies."

•A decade-long $42.6 billion budget-doubling for the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Standards and Technology and Energy Department's science office.

The nation now spends about 2.6% of its $14.2 trillion GDP on research and development, primarily in the defense industry, according to the National Science Foundation. Most of that development funding comes from industry, more than $270 billion, with federal agencies spending roughly $100 billion. Recent stimulus spending added $21.5 billion to the federal total this year.

"As a scientist, I am delighted with the strong pro-science positions of the Obama administration, and hope they survive the difficult and inevitable aftermath of stimulus spending," says former Bush administration science adviser John Marburger, by e-mail, expressing concern that some of the proposed funds will be spent unwisely.