Research is the lifeblood of innovation. Funding for scientific research has enabled some of the most revolutionary inventions of the last 60 years, including the Internet, the Global Positioning System (GPS), the laser, and the large-scale integrated circuit.
For decades, federal government and private sector investments in semiconductor research and development (R&D) have propelled the rapid pace of innovation in the U.S. semiconductor industry, making it the global leader and spurring tremendous growth throughout the U.S. economy. This report analyzes the impact of federal investments in semiconductor R&D on U.S. economic growth, job creation, and our country’s technology leadership.
Unfortunately, U.S. investments in R&D as a share of GDP have been on the decline, while other countries around the globe are doubling down on these critical investments. Policymakers should reverse this trend by supporting funding for basic scientific research programs at federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science.
Long-term fundamental science research performed at universities and funded by the industry and the federal government is critical to sustaining the pipeline of new discoveries that will fuel the semiconductor industry, our nation’s economy and new job creation in America. Today, with increasingly fierce competition for global technology leadership, it’s critical that research collaborations be maintained and strengthened, not undermined.
