14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft Chairman and co-founder Bill Gates has come up with a recipe to continue fueling technology innovation in the U.S., and it involves fresh blood, an education reform and additional financial resources. Gates is scheduled to present this perspective before the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology, on the organization's 50th anniversary on March 12, 2008. With the country's competitiveness at stake, Gates is prepared to argue that the Congress, the administration as well as the president will have to take decisive measures in order to maintain the country's momentum as the center of innovation worldwide.
"I know we all want the United States to continue to be the world's center for innovation. But our position as the global leader in innovation is at risk," the Microsoft Chairman warned. The Redmond company as well as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have long been at the forefront of technology innovation. Microsoft alone invested in excess of $7 billion into Research and Development in 2007, with the philanthropic foundation focusing its efforts on educational aspects. But Gates stated that the U.S. government too has to get involved into improving education, overhauling the U.S. immigration policies and boosting the funding for basic research.
U.S. companies are already forced to joggle with what the Microsoft co-founder referred to as a severe shortfall of scientists and engineers. "If we don't reverse these trends, our competitive advantage will continue to erode. Our ability to create new high-paying jobs will suffer," Gates added. The U.S. already made a step forward in this direction, by passing the necessary legislation designed to drive technological innovation via the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education and Science Act from 2007. But at the same time, the educational initiatives of the legislation lack funding, and in this context fail to provide any results.
"Even though we know that basic research drives economic progress, real federal spending on basic research has fallen since 2005," he said. "I urge Congress to increase funding for basic research by 10 percent annually for the next seven years." But along with an increased volume of financial resources, what the Microsoft Chairman wants is nothing more than the U.S. to focus on the next generation of scientists and engineers. And in this context, the possibilities are either to go after homebred talent or to import it when possible.
According to Gates, the U.S. needs to reform immigration policies that will permit it to not only educate foreign talent, but also to keep it after graduation. At stake is the ability of the U.S. not only to innovate but also to compete.