AAAS S&T Policy Forum, May 2011
Synesis: A Journal of Science, Technology, Ethics, and Policy 2011; 2:G51-55
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) held the 36th Annual Forum on Science and Technology Policy in May 2011. The forum addressed the federal research and development budget, science and technology (S&T) spending, and national innovation strategy. This paper reviews the highlights of the Forum and summarizes the budget outlook forfiscal year 2012. Given the current political and economic climate, significant budget pressures can be expected. However, many of the conference speakers make a strong case for looking beyond the current crisis and sustaining government investment in S&T and innovation for long-term economic growth and continued US global leadership.
Key words: science and technology, policy, innovation, federal budget, AAAS.