August 20, 2012
The Hard Path to Open Source Bioinnovation
The “open source” software movement may have created your browser, it you’re using Firefox. But the open source movement in biotechnology is less well-known. This article explains why.
Innovation Articles
August 16, 2012
INNOVATION POLICY
The Solyndra Standard
Today’s crash landing of the Defense Department’s $300 million experimental hypersonic scramjet puts the Solyndra bankruptcy in perspective, and illustrates how we need to reconsider how we define “failure” in the technology innovation discourse.
August 6, 2012
CYBER SECURITY
Tapping the Patent System for Innovation in Cyber Security
As the potential for cyberattacks to cause physical damage to key infrastructure increases, we need to think creatively about how to incentivize innovation in cybersecurity.
August 2, 2012
MANUFACTURING INNOVATION
Will the World Be Flatter in 3D?
3D printing could herald a manufacturing renaissance in the United States, but only if we invest in the the technically skilled workforce needed to make the most of this potentially disruptive technology.
June 28, 2012
ENERGY INNOVATION
The MIT CityCar And The Future Of Urban Mobility
Researchers at MIT have been working to rethink the urban mobility paradigm–from conventional vehicles operating in cramped, polluted, and dangerous environments, to vehicles specifically optimized for city centers.
June 13, 2012
ENERGY INNOVATION
Building Better Batteries With Government Commercialization Investment
New high-capacity lithium ion battery technology that can operate in very hot or very cold temperatures could change the game for electric automotives.
June 12, 2012
INNOVATION
Is America’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy Open for Business?
The scientific method is designed to generate new conceptual discoveries, but it is not sufficient for transforming such conceptual knowledge into commercial innovations.
June 4, 2012
INNOVATION CLUSTERS
Leveraging Universities, Technology, and Education to Drive Rural Economic Growth
The lessons learned from university-engaged regional economic development in Southside Virginia encapsulate why innovation policy can transform unlikely communities across our nation.
May 23, 2012
INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Crowdfunding – But Not by the Crowd
The JOBS Act seeks to accelerate the rise of Internet-enabled “crowdfunding” as a source of startup capital for entrepreneurs. But the gains may be countered by major growing pains.
May 3, 2012
ENERGY INNOVATION
Three Charts That Illustrate Why Solar Has Hit A True Tipping Point
A new report from the prominent global consulting firm McKinsey shows how process improvements and incremental technology innovation have brought solar photovoltaics to a tipping point.
April 26, 2012
BIOTECHNOLOGY
White House Releases National Bioeconomy Blueprint
The White House today released the long-awaited National Bioeconomy Blueprint, which summarizes emergent trends in biotechnology, and contains five strategic imperatives for government policy moving forward.
April 22, 2012
INVESTING IN INNOVATION
Comparing R&D Investments in the House GOP and White House Budget Proposals
The American Association for the Advancement of Science has put together a handy brief explaining the differences in R&D investment levels in the Obama administration’s proposed FY 2013 budget and the House GOP proposed budget.
April 17, 2012
ENERGY INNOVATION
An American Kodak Moment
A new report from Third Way compares the technological myopia that bankrupted Kodak for failing to anticipate the shift to digital photography and imaging, to the shortsightedness of U.S. clean energy innovation policy.
April 2, 2012
ENERGY INNOVATION
Science, Silver Buckshot, and ‘All of The Above’
Despite hopeful proclamations of game-changing innovation at this year’s ARPA-E summit, our national clean energy policy remains an insufficient balance of proaction and compromise with the status quo.
March 14, 2012
INNOVATION
Jumpstarting University Technology Innovation Ecosystems
Structural, cultural, and other barriers often prevent university research from fulfilling its full economic potential, leaving opportunities for policy and the private sector to engage.
February 23, 2012
INNOVATION
Streamlining the Business and Government Interface
The new BusinessUSA.gov portal is a key first step in bringing scattered federal programs together in one place to be more effective in helping business and spurring American innovation.
February 21, 2012
INVESTING IN INNOVATION
Making the Most of Competition in Federal R&D
At a recent event at the Consortium for Science, Policy, and Outcomes, Dr. Sybil Francis and Dr. Gregg Zachary discussed best practices for managing competition among and between federal research programs.
February 11, 2012
ENERGY INNOVATION
Federal Energy Loan Guarantees Win Clean Bill of Health
The Department of Energy loan guarantee program, much vilified in the fallout of the Solyndra scandal, will cost $2 billion less than expected and is working to create clean energy jobs all across the country.
January 30, 2012
ENERGY INNOVATION
Super Hot Salt: A Super Cool Solar Technology Innovation
As BrightSource Energy adds cutting-edge molten salt storage to its new solar plants, the choice between clean energy and cheap energy is rapidly becoming a thing of the past.
January 25, 2012
INNOVATION POLICY
President Obama Links Middle Class Prosperity and Innovation
President Obama’s State of the Union address demonstrated the importance of science, innovation, and economic competitiveness to a prosperous and growing middle class.
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Science, Innovation, and Competitiveness
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.
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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.