{"id":634,"date":"2018-09-11T07:02:30","date_gmt":"2018-09-11T11:02:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.ams.org\/capitalcurrents\/?p=634"},"modified":"2018-09-11T07:06:42","modified_gmt":"2018-09-11T11:06:42","slug":"the-white-house-issues-annual-science-memo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ams.org\/capitalcurrents\/2018\/09\/11\/the-white-house-issues-annual-science-memo\/","title":{"rendered":"The White House issues annual science memo"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Editor\u2019s Note: Today marks 17 years since the tremendous loss of lives on the east coast of our nation. It would be difficult to post this without remarking on the pain that the survivors and families have endured since that day.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apologies in advance; this post could be a bit in the weeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 31, the White House issued its annual memorandum<\/a> (M-18-22) identifying research and development (R&D) areas that federal agencies (including the NSF) should prioritize as they develop their fiscal year 2020 budget requests. The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) jointly prepare these memoranda. This one is signed by Mick Mulvaney, OMB Director, and Michael Kratsios, Deputy US Chief Technology Officer and Deputy Assistant to the President at OSTP. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It begins: \u201cThe United States is a nation of thinkers, inventors, and entrepreneurs. Empowered by free-market capitalism and driven by bold ideas, Americans created an ecosystem of innovation that is the envy of the world, advancing science and technology and making the Nation prosperous and strong.\u201d Overall, the language in this memo speaks to a strong, connected, technologically advanced, and independent America that leads all other nations. The tone brought to mind President Trump\u2019s inaugural assertion \u201cFrom this moment on, it\u2019s going to be America First.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Trump administration issued its first<\/a> such memo (M-17-30) in August of 2017, to guide the budget process for fiscal year 2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does the new version differ from the first?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s version is more specific, but basically builds on the first Trump R&D memo. It suggests federal R&D funding be \u201cfocused primarily on basic and early-stage applied research,\u201d and calls on the private sector to increasingly fund \u201cthe transfer of research discoveries from the laboratory to the marketplace.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The memo identifies eight \u201cR&D Priority Areas,\u201d describing what<\/em> the administration would like to see investment go toward:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Security of the American people;<\/li>
  2. American leadership in artificial intelligence, quantum information sciences, and strategic computing;<\/li>
  3. American connectivity and autonomy;<\/li>
  4. American manufacturing;<\/li>
  5. American space exploration and commercialization;<\/li>
  6. American energy dominance;<\/li>
  7. American medical innovation; and<\/li>
  8. American agriculture.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    There are also five \u201cR&D Priority Practices,\u201d which provide the how<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Educating and Training a Workforce for the 21st<\/sup> Century Economy;<\/li>
    2. Managing and Modernizing R&D Infrastructure;<\/li>
    3. Maximizing Interagency Coordination and Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration;<\/li>
    4. Transferring Technology from Laboratory to Marketplace; and<\/li>
    5. Partnering with Industry and Academia.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cAmerican Military Superiority\u201d and \u201cAmerican Security\u201d were the first two priority areas listed last year. The first of these used terms including \u201cwarfighter,\u201d \u201cweapons and defenses,\u201d and \u201cbattlefield.\u201d These particular terms are gone, though national security is still central, with the White House calling for increased investment in the military, border technology, and cybersecurity. The first priority listed this year asserts, \u201cas adversaries leverage emerging technologies to threaten the nation, it is imperative that we invest in R&D to maintain military superiority and keep the American people safe.\u201d Recent media accounts<\/a> of our current military innovations certainly corroborate this demand to modernize our military. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Here are a few other specific changes, including several relevant to the mathematical sciences community:<\/p>\n\n\n\n