Obama Wants More Spending On Scientific Research

美国总统奥巴马周一承诺，将增加科研支出，提高数理教育水平。不过，预计政府要严重依赖私人部门才能实现奥巴马宣布的新目标──将国内生产总值的3%以上用于研发。由于疲弱的经济对公司研究预算造成负面影响，实现这个目标将会是一项挑战。据白宫科技政策办公室(White House Office of Science and Technology Policy)的数据，这个目标意味着每年公私部门将需要在研发方面增加约460亿美元的投入。奥巴马在美国国家科学院(National Academy of Sciences)发表演讲时说，过去25年来，投入物理科学研究的联邦资金占国内生产总值的比重下降了近一半。他还说，新加坡日本英国瑞士香港和韩国学生的表现正在超过美国同龄人。奥巴马说，其他国家如今开始在追求这一代的伟大发现上抢到了前头。奥巴马没有给出实现3%这一目标的具体时间。几十年来，研发资金的来源已经急剧转向私人部门。白宫科技政策办公室的数据显示，非政府机构占了这类支出的约三分之二。谷歌(Google Inc.)首席执行长施密特(Schmidt)说，政府应该专注于能帮助其他研究蓬勃发展的基础研究，这一点很重要。他在接受采访时说，一个大公司很容易在能给它带来极大好处的一些显而易见的科学研究上落在后面。施密特为白宫提供科技方面的建议。奥巴马还呼吁科学家和工程师们为在数理教育上处于弱势的学校的师生进行辅导，帮助提高教育水平。Janet Adamy


President Barack Obama pledged Monday to spend more money on scientific research and improve science education.But the government is expected to rely heavily on the private sector to meet the new target announced by Mr. Obama of devoting more than 3% of gross domestic product to research and development. That will be a challenge as the weak economy crimps corporate research budgets.The target would mean about an additional $46 billion in annual public and private spending on research and development, according to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.In a speech to the National Academy of Sciences, Mr. Obama said federal funding in the physical sciences as a portion of GDP has fallen by nearly half in the past 25 years. Students in Singapore, Japan, England, the Netherlands, Hong Kong and South Korea are outperforming their American peers, he added.'Other countries are now beginning to pull ahead in the pursuit of this generation's great discoveries,' Mr. Obama said.The president didn't give a date for meeting the 3% target. In the past few decades, funding for research and development has shifted sharply to the private sector. Nongovernmental entities account for about two-thirds of such spending, according to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.Google Inc. Chief Executive Eric Schmidt, who is advising the White House on science and technology, said it is important for government to focus on the 'seed corn' that can help other research flourish. 'It's very easy for a large company to get behind some obvious science that will benefit them greatly,' Mr. Schmidt said in an interview.The president also called on scientists and engineers to help improve science education by mentoring teachers and students in disadvantaged schools.Janet Adamy