University of Massachusetts > STEM > New England Mustn't Lose Edge

Innovation and STEMs Progress

By James T. Brett, The Boston Herald | Monday, April 2, 2007

Thinking regionally and leveraging our collective resources has always been a key to New England's economic success.

This is particularly important for the innovation sector, where growth in New England has been historically strong. Yet increased competition from other regions and other countries is making it more important than ever to build stronger networks and better infrastructure.

The changing political landscape on Capitol Hill will likely have an impact on the region's innovation sector as well. We urge Congress to move forward on several areas that are important to innovation including: enhancing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education; making permanent the federal research and development (R&D) tax credit; and expanding the availability of visas for skilled foreign workers.

The National Council on Competitiveness has identified innovation as the single most important factor in America's economic success in the 21st century. In New England it's clear that innovation is part of the lifeblood of the economy. The region performs about 8 percent of the total U.S. R&D and the drivers of the New England economy - health care, technology and financial services - are leading the way in innovation.

Our highly-educated work force continues to be a leading resource. Yet, it is concerning that China, India and other countries are producing significantly more STEM graduates. If current trends continue, by 2010, more than 90 percent of all scientists and engineers in the world will be living in Asia.

In addition, New England students are less interested in STEM fields than their counterparts in other regions. In 2005, only 20.2 percent of high school students taking the SATs in New England indicated a desire to major in a STEM field, below the national average of 26.3 percent.

We need to improve STEM education, beginning with K-12. We urge policymakers to support an increased investment in STEM teachers, technology in schools and STEM higher education. We also propose a National Technology Funding Program that would assist schools in the implementation of educational technology tools. In the area of higher education, the federal government can provide more incentives. This could include scholarships and loan-forgiveness programs for students who pursue degrees in STEM fields.

Another factor affecting the work force is the availability of skilled workers. While companies and universities are always trying to attract top domestic talent to critical STEM disciplines, in many of these areas of study 50 percent or more of the advanced degrees earned at U.S. universities are awarded to foreign nationals.

New England's businesses and universities must have access to these highly skilled workers. This could be accomplished by lifting the cap on the H-1B visa program, which allows U.S. employers to hire qualified foreign professionals for a specific time period. It makes little sense to train these students and invest in their future, only to force them to seek jobs with overseas competitors.

In addition to the work force, federal R&D funding is an important factor in fueling the innovation economy. This funding needs to be stable and represent a balanced portfolio.

The federal R&D tax credit plays a critical role in augmenting private R&D investments and should be made permanent. Since typical R&D projects require several years to complete, making the credit permanent would grant the certainty that businesses need to pursue new ideas and projects.

We need to continue to fuel the success of our regional innovation economy so that we can keep pace in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. Creative new approaches and the strengthening of existing programs both will help positively shape what the future of innovation will look like in New England, and in the nation as a whole. Our federal policymakers have an important role to play in this effort.

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