PATENTS AND PROGRESS
Software patents are of increasing importance in the digital economy, but a dive into the data suggests we may not yet have figured out the right balance of quantity and quality.
Amidst the president’s national “Jobs and Opportunity Tour,” the Commerce Department quietly unrolled an innovative platform to support creative coordination among technology, trade, training, and economic growth in America’s regions.
ENERGY INNOVATION
Clean energy critics are using Fisker’s financial woes to criticize the Department of Energy Loan Guarantee program. But Congress, under President Bush, designed the program intentionally to fund risky but forward thinking projects.
INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Equity crowdfunding presents great potential for some entrepreneurs to more smoothly navigate the valley of death and drive innovation, and examples from Europe suggest that effective safeguards against fraud are possible.
ENERGY INNOVATION
It may be time for clean energy advocates to drop the “either/or” rhetoric and focus on shared priorities.
MANUFACTURING INNOVATION
In their new book, Fabricated: The New World of 3D Printing, Lipson and Kurman lay out the 10 most important things about 3D printing that make it special—and the 10 reasons why it really could be the next big thing in American Manufacturing.
INVESTING IN SCIENCE
After President Obama’s call to attain a “level of research and development not seen since the height of the Space Race” in the State of the Union, universities are renewing their cry for a deal to avoid the automatic budget cuts known as “sequestration.”
ENERGY INNOVATION
V3Solar’s announcement about its new super-cheap “Spin Cell” solar cones is another reason for hope that cheap-as-dirt solar may around the corner, but making early predictions about the final cost of energy technologies is an inherently tricky business.
ENERGY INNOVATION
The new energy research agency authorized by President Bush and implemented by Obama has similarities with past federal R&D successes, but is missing a fundamental ingredient enjoyed by past technology programs: Market pull.
INVESTING IN SCIENCE
The iPhone 5 is expected to add 0.25 to 0.5 percent to GDP by the end of 2012, but might not exist if not for innovations made possible by public investments in particle physics.
INNOVATION
Throughout our nation’s history, investments in research have led to groundbreaking innovations, and we must continue making those investments to stay competitive in the 21st century.
INNOVATION
Though he hasn’t asked for a lot of attention, the president has quietly made ambitious reforms for small businesses across the country through legislation and executive action that range from common-sense to very bold.
CLEAN ENERGY INNOVATION
Stephen Lacey talks about the state of clean energy innovation with Ron Pernick, author of the book Cleantech Nation.
MANUFACTURING INNOVATION
The Obama administration has embraced innovation policy to strengthen U.S. manufacturing. But despite the importance of innovation and manufacturing to our economic well-being, you rarely hear about it in this election year noise.
INNOVATION CLUSTERS
How does a rural region, hit hard by declines in the tobacco, furniture, and textile industries of its heyday, transform itself into a hub of innovation and high-tech jobs? Here are a few tips.
Rare earth metals, more plentiful in China than the US, present a unique environmental and industrial supply chain challenge for domestic firms. Adam James looks at a few innovative companies, or UpStarts, working to create solutions and enhance US competitiveness.
INVESTING IN SCIENCE
If we want the U.S. economy to innovate and remain competitive in the 21st century, we can not afford to take for granted our elected leaders’ support for research, development, and the other increasingly numerous drivers of innovation.
BIOMEDICAL INNOVATION
Surprisingly few of the billions of federal dollars spent on biomedical research go toward translating basic science discoveries into workable therapies. But a brand new NIH program is taking small steps in the right direction.
ENERGY INNOVATION
The U.S. stands at the cusp of a transformation that will connect the ongoing innovations in information technology with the emergence of intelligent, efficient, secure, and cleaner energy networks. We present a framework for understanding and accelerating this transformation.
MANUFACTURING INNOVATION
A new manufacturing institute will bring stakeholders together for collaborative innovation, illustrating the differences between traditional industrial policy and 21st century innovation policy.
Science Progress and American Progress's Doing What Works project teamed up to produce a set of policy proposals that the Obama administration and Congress can adopt to reinvest in the building blocks of American science, innovation, and economic competitiveness. Read the overview of the five reports.
Science Progress proceeds from the propositions that scientific inquiry is among the finest expressions of human excellence, that it is a crucial source of human flourishing, a critical engine of economic growth, and must be dedicated to the common good. Scientific inquiry entails global responsibilities. It should lead to a more equitable, safer, and healthier future for all of humankind.