SIA applauds Senate approval of research funding

SAN JOSE, USA: The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) has applauded the members of the US Senate for approving funding increases for important science and engineering research in the supplemental spending bill.

“The Senate acted to provide a down payment on basic research--we strongly urge the House and President to support these investments in the supplemental,” said SIA President George Scalise. “Basic science and engineering research at universities and national labs underpins our industry’s ability to develop cutting-edge innovations ranging from energy- and life-saving devices to technologies that contribute to our economic growth, national defense, and societal welfare. To ensure continued U.S. technology leadership, federal research investments must be funded as a priority in the coming fiscal years.”

The supplemental spending bill, which passed by a substantial margin in the Senate yesterday, includes $300 million for basic research in the physical sciences and engineering, one important component of the US innovation agenda. The bill appropriates $200 million for science and engineering research and math and science education, at the National Science Foundation (NSF), and $100 million for science and engineering research at the Office of Science in the Department of Energy (DOE).

“While the Senate’s action is promising, more work remains to fully implement our government’s commitment to American innovators. That commitment included a permanent extension of an enhanced R&D tax credit, a reformed immigration system that welcomes highly educated workers, and an increase in basic research funding levels at NIST, NSF, and DOE,” Scalise concluded.