There are two interesting discussions in progress in the United States and abroad, each legitimate, timely and blindly interrelated.
In the United States, the Bush administration, industry leaders, governors and august academic institutions are growing increasingly anxious about an all-too-obvious trend that has other countries getting smarter by the minute in math and science and consequently challenging America’s technological prowess. Indeed, crackerjack scientists and engineers-buoyed by lots of qualified teachers and ongoing government investment in research and development-are the heart of knowledge-based economies here and elsewhere.
As a nation, we are said to be on the verge of ceding our technological leadership to other nations, particularly those in Asia. One only has to look at wireless, auto and other industries to realize this latest sense of urgency is not overblown, even if a bit late.
In his State of the Union address, and shortly afterward formalized in his fiscal 2007 budget plan, President Bush unveiled the American Competitiveness Initiative. It is aimed at encouraging innovation and strengthening U.S. competitiveness in the global economy. The president wants Congress to pledge $5.9 billion in fiscal 2007 and $136 billion over 10 years to increase R&D investments, strengthen education and encourage entrepreneurship and innovation.
There are various bills of a similar flavor in Congress. The Council on Competitiveness has been beating the drum on this since 1986.
“Our fate may well depend on our ability to educate the next generation of innovators, invest in the cutting edge of science and develop and deploy new technologies so that the United States can maintain its true competitive edge and global leadership in innovation. We at the council look forward to working with this bi-partisan group of leaders to move this key initiative forward,” said Deborah Wince-Smith, president of the Council on Competitiveness.
How ironic that the U.S. is racking its brains and ringing its hands, while our future Nobel Prize winners are distracted from school work and world affairs by American-engineered cell phones, iPods and the Internet. Whatever.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, developing countries are trying to put existing wireless and broadband technologies to work to improve a quality of life far different than ours. They think near term because many live day to day, month to month. They do not care who gets credit for the invention or who owns the patent. Getting old is a bonus. Thus, the Wi-Fi postal system in villages in India; Wi-Fi in favelas, or slums, outside of Rio de Janeiro; telemedicine in Cambodia; and wireless Internet connectivity in rural Uganda.
Next month, 30,000 individuals from government, industry and various groups are expected to attend the World Telecommunication Development Conference in Doha, Qatar. The conference is intended to build consensus on priorities to bridge the digital divide. The issue and the conference also deserve a good measure of urgency.
