The Senate this week held a hearing titled “One Year Later: The American Innovation and Competitiveness Act,” with National Science Foundation (NSF) Director Dr. France Cordova and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Director Dr. Walter Copan testifying.
The American Innovation and Competitiveness Act (AICA), signed into law in January 2017, reauthorized NSF and NIST for the first time in six years. As the law’s original sponsor, Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) chaired the hearing and asked Director Cordova to discuss the impacts of increasing U.S. contributions to research and development from 0.7 percent of GDP to 2 percent. Director Cordova responded that a significant increase would be “tremendous horsepower for the nation,” citing the prospects of medical advances, new discoveries and remaining competitive with China.
