Federal R&D funding: the bedrock of national innovation

Abstract

The U.S. government’s financial commitment to scientific research has significantly declined in the past few decades. Recent research has also revealed a lack of public awareness of the importance of federal research and development (R&D) funding; only one in four Americans believe that the government’s role in science is indispensable. In this paper, we argue that federal funding provides the bedrock for the U.S.’s innovation infrastructure while guiding the national research agenda to benefit society. We first examine which projects the federal government chooses to fund, concluding that federally-funded R&D focuses heavily on use-inspired basic research and supporting work which is in line with the missions of federal agencies, missions that prioritize societal needs. Next, we examine how federal science funding uniquely addresses market failures of private sector R&D while catalyzing innovation more broadly. We close by proposing specific tailored communication strategies to galvanize public excitement about science, thereby mustering sustained public support for federal R&D funding.