Three new NSF InfoBriefs

Read the titles of these three recent publications of the National Science Foundation:

• New Estimates of National Research and Development Expenditures Show 5.8% Growth in 2007 (NSF 08-317)
• Universities Report Continued Decline in Real Federal S&E R&D Funding in FY 2007 (NSF 08-320)
• U.S. Business R&D Expenditures Increase in 2006; Companies' Own and Federal Contributions Rise (NSF 08-313)

The growth in R&D expenditures, when adjusted for inflation, was 3.1 percent nationally from 2006 to 2007. After adjusting for inflation, company-funded R&D increased 6.2%, and federally funded R&D in companies increased 7.7% from 2005 to 2006. The third report shows that R&D increased in real terms in firms with more than 5,000 employees, but decreased in firms with 5 to 24 employees and in firms with 500 to 999 employees.

The most fundamental knowledge is likely to come from fundamental research done in academic institutions, and the most innovative technologies from the smaller firms, while the giant firms are likely to be emphasizing marginal improvements in existing technology. I wonder about the Bush administration's willingness to make long term investments in U.S. competitiveness rather than subsidize the interests of their corporate supporters. (Of course, one of the explanations of the change is that the U.S. economy is moving away from the mature manufacturing sectors into higher technology sectors, and thus R&D is a larger part of the total GDP.)