Subcommittee Supports a Coordinated Effort to Advance International S&T Programs Among Agencies
(Washington, DC) – Today, the House Science and Technology’s Subcommittee on Research and Science Education held a hearing to examine how federal agencies currently prioritize and coordinate international science and technology programs. As an advocate for international cooperation in science and technology, Subcommittee Chairman Brian Baird hosted this second in a series of hearings aimed at exploring science diplomacy.
“There is a tremendous amount of international science and technology cooperation already going on across the federal government,” said Baird. “One of my goals for this hearing is to understand how – or if - the federal government sets priorities for international science cooperation, and who is or who should be responsible for coordinating and overseeing the entire effort.”
The hearing examined global and domestic benefits from cooperation in science and technology. Science diplomacy provides the United States with opportunities to build and expand positive relationships with other countries. Participation in international science and technology programs leverages U.S. funding and scientific talent. In addition, it provides American scientists with access to world-class research facilities and opportunities to work with the top scientists in their field, wherever they live.
The cultivation of scientific knowledge provides international policy makers with more accurate information when addressing global issues such as nonproliferation, water resources, climate change, and infectious diseases. Furthermore, science diplomacy helps the U.S. maintain national security, economic stability, and international partnerships.
Members questioned witnesses on the roles different federal agencies, such as the State Department and other mission agencies, play in fostering international scientific collaborations. While reviewing programs in various agencies, Committee Members commended the National Science Foundation (NSF) for their effort to advance international science. Although NSF does not play a diplomatic role, the agency supports the State Department’s science and technology activities. NSF spends $300-400 million dollars annually on research grants involving international collaborations. In addition, The National Science Board recently released a report, “International Science and Engineering Partnerships: A Priority for U.S. Foreign Policy and our Nation’s Innovation Agenda,” which includes a series of recommendations for increased coherence and coordination of federally sponsored international science and engineering activities.
“While the State Department may be at the center of many of these efforts, I would be remiss to downplay the critical roles played by a number of other agencies, including the NSF; the mission agencies, represented here today by NASA; and the Office of Science and Technology Policy, which has responsibility both for advising the President on the S&T component of issues of national and international importance, and for coordinating research and development activities across the federal government,” added Baird.
For more information on this hearing or to access witness testimony, please visit the Committee’s website at www.house.gov/science
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