Vice President Gore on Science and Technology

Perhaps the best recent indication of the Clinton Administration’s position on science and technology is Vice President Gore’s January 24 speech to the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Gore touched on several important issues, as well as describing the Administration’s upcoming budget request on information technology and the extension of the Research and Experimentation Tax Credit. Selections of the Vice President’s address follow:

“Ever since our nation’s founding, our boundless search for new frontiers - our ceaseless quest for knowledge and discovery - has defined the American experience. Today, more than at any time in our history, the strength of our economy, the health of our families, and the quality of our lives depend on the advances that each of you will make. As our research into science and information technology goes, so will go our jobs, our incomes, and the prosperity of our nation. Put simply, the success and health of our families in the next century will depend upon the decisions - and the investments - we make today.

“That’s why President Clinton and I have so aggressively pushed for new and targeted investments in research and information technology. Six years ago, we took office with a fundamental belief: that government must support fundamental investments in science and technology -- even when we don’t know precisely where those investments will lead.

“Last year, we launched the 21st Century Research Fund -- including the largest investment in civilian research and development in American history. I am here today to reaffirm our commitment to research and discovery and to announce some of the next steps we are taking to lead America into the 21st Century.”

(At this point, Gore cited advances in astrophysics, climate change, the Internet, Human Genome Project, plant genetic engineering, and nanomaterials.)

“The more our science connects to our jobs, the more we all connect to each other. Perhaps the greatest discovery of all this research is that we can no longer separate basic from applied science. We can no longer separate biological research from information technology. The disciplines are connected in ways they have never been before.

“These historic innovations also have something else in common: they have all been made possible by federal investments in research and technology. Over the past 30 years, federal investments in research have helped split the atom, splice the gene, put men on the moon, invent the microchip, the laser, and the Internet -- and have created millions of jobs.

“The question today is: are we going to build on this progress - are we going to continue to explore every corner of our world and universe - and also take care to balance our newest discoveries with our oldest values? President Clinton and I answer a resounding: YES! Today, I want to suggest a new compact between our scientific community and our government -- one that is based on rigorous support for fundamental science, and also a shared responsibility to shape our breakthroughs into a powerful force for progress.

“Let me suggest three ways that we can harness science and technology to achieve our highest purposes:

“First, we must do more to use science and technology to sustain our prosperity, create jobs, and grow the economy for the 21st Century.

“Our economy has never been more driven by science and technology than it is today. Over the past three years, information technology alone has accounted for more than one-third of America’s economic growth. More than 7.4 million Americans work in IT today -- and those jobs pay, on average, sixty percent higher than the average job. It’s not just good for our economy -- it’s good for our families.

“No wonder Alan Greenspan said this week that rapid technological change is one of the forces producing what he called ‘America’s sparkling economic performance.’

“It’s also an example of public-private partnerships at its finest. We make the long-term investments that most companies can’t afford to make -- but then they invest in those ideas and find ways to use them to help our families.”(At this point, Gore described Internet growth.)

“We need to do more to keep this progress and prosperity going. So today, I am pleased to make two brand new announcements that will help us grow our economy even more.

“First, as part of the balanced budget we are submitting to Congress next month, I am proud to announce that we are proposing an additional $366 million in cutting-edge, job creating information technology research for the 21st Century. This initiative - which we call ‘IT Squared’ - represents an unprecedented 28 percent increase in information technology research, and will support both long-term IT research as well as research into advanced applications.” (A future FYI will discuss this initiative in more detail.) “By the year 2004, we even expect to have a new supercomputer that makes more than 100 trillion calculations per second....”

“While the possibilities in science are awesome, the possibilities for our jobs, our families, and our economy [are] even more awesome. Our investments 30 years ago helped create the 7.4 million jobs we see in IT today -- this initiative will help us sustain that prosperity, and holds out the promise of creating millions of new jobs for generations to come. These are not low-paying jobs - these are the kinds of jobs that let you raise a family, educate your kids, buy a home, buy a car, take a nice vacation - and retire in dignity with good health care. That is what this new initiative could mean for America.

“To help make that day a reality, we are also taking new steps to stimulate private investment. Today, I am also proud to announce that we will propose an extension of America’s $2.4 billion Research and Experimentation Tax Credit.”

Gore also called for greater attention to education (from pre- school to college to retraining.) In describing his third point, Gore began by saying, “Just as physics was heralded for making the atom relevant to society, it was also feared for the weapons those same atoms made possible.” He then announced a $10+ million request to “study the moral implications of technology.”