The authors demonstrate that the U.S. share of global R&D is diminishing while other nations, and China in particular, surge ahead. The report lays out international R&D investment targets and strategies for several nations, noting efforts like Korea who plans to double its funding for basic science by 2022 and China’s research intensity target of 2.5 percent of GDP by 2020. The report also notes that China has overtaken the U.S. in total research publication output as of 2016 and is now the dominant research producer in key areas including engineering, physics, chemistry, geosciences, and mathematics. The U.S. trails both China and the European Union in the total number of bachelor’s degrees in science and engineering awarded since 2000.
The TFIA calls for strong and sustained commitments to increasing federal investments in scientific research and human capital that drives the U.S. economy forward and fuels American innovation. The full report is available here.