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What’s Ahead
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| Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and former deputy secretary of defense Bob Work co-chair a 2019 meeting of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence. (Image credit – NSCAI) |
AI Commission Releasing Final Report
The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence is releasing its 750-page final report on Monday. Chaired by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, the commission is an independent federal entity created by Congress to review U.S. competitiveness in AI and associated fields. The commission has already presented quarterly interim recommendations and in January it released a draft of its final report, which included both recommendations specific to AI as well as many focused on U.S. innovation policy more broadly. At a hearing last week, Schmidt highlighted the commission’s proposal to create a White House Technology Competitiveness Council chaired by the vice president. According to the report, the council would be a “center of power that can exert gravitational pull on domestic, economic, national security, and science and technology policies” and would be led on a day-to-day basis by an assistant to the president for technology competitiveness. The report places a particular emphasis on competition from China and the security risks associated with that country. The finalized version expands on the draft’s research security proposals, including by recommending the government create a database of individuals and entities it considers to be high-risk collaborators in lieu of imposing broad restrictions on collaboration.
Pandemic Response Bill Heads to Senate
Over the weekend, the House passed a $1.9 trillion pandemic response bill on a party-line vote that focuses on providing broad economic stimulus and supporting the COVID-19 vaccination campaign. The Senate plans to quickly advance the measure this month using a procedure that only requires a simple majority vote for final approval. House Republicans criticized the overall price tag of the bill, while House Science Committee Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) lamented that it does not incorporate a bipartisan proposal to distribute about $25 billion across science agencies to address pandemic-related disruptions to research projects. The Science Committee was assigned $750 million of the bill’s total, of which it allocated $600 million to the National Science Foundation and $150 million to the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The bill also includes $40 billion in general relief for higher education institutions, short of the nearly $100 billion requested by university associations.
DARPA and NSF Sponsoring Technology Protection Study
The National Academies is launching a study on Thursday titled, “Protecting Critical Technologies for National Security in an Era of Openness and Competition.” The study will consider the benefits and drawbacks of specific options for restricting scientific exchange, focusing on the fields of synthetic biology, artificial intelligence, and microelectronics. It will also recommend policy changes designed to “accelerate the marketing/fielding of advances stemming from U.S.-funded research within and to the benefit of the United States.” The study committee is co-chaired by Sue Gordon, a longtime national security official who was deputy director of national intelligence from 2017 to 2019, and Patrick Gallagher, a physicist who led the National Institute of Standards and Technology during the Obama administration and is now chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh. At the kickoff meeting, former Navy Secretary Richard Danzig will offer a “big picture briefing,” and the committee will discuss the charge with sponsors of the study from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and National Science Foundation.
Scientists and Regulators Reflect on Nuclear Power Disasters
The Belfer Center at Harvard University is convening a three day workshop this week to mark the anniversaries of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster and the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi accident, which was triggered by a tsunami. The event will begin Wednesday with a conversation between John Holdren, science advisor to President Obama, and Allison MacFarlane, chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission from 2012 to 2014. Other speakers include Richard Meserve, another former NRC chair, and Rita Baranwal, who led the Department of Energy’s nuclear energy office during the Trump administration and is now chief nuclear officer at the Electric Power Research Institute.
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In Case You Missed It
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| President Biden holds up a computer chip prior to ordering a supply chain review for semiconductors and other critical products. (Image credit – The White House) |
Biden Puts Spotlight on Critical Technologies
President Biden issued an executive order on Feb. 24 directing four federal departments to conduct 100-day reviews of the risks bearing on U.S. supply chains for semiconductors, high-capacity batteries, critical minerals, and pharmaceuticals. In addition to surveying risks associated with foreign supplies and vulnerabilities inherent to the technologies, the reviews are to consider U.S. manufacturing capacity, workforce requirements, climate risks, and “the need for research and development capacity” to sustain national leadership. Following that initial review, a broader set of departments are instructed to report one year from now on the status of the industrial bases for various sectors, including defense, energy, transportation, agriculture, public health, and information technology. In remarks prior to signing the order, Biden highlighted the current global semiconductor chip shortage that has led to production slowdowns in the auto industry, among other sectors, and alluded to the CHIPS for America Act, which authorizes new programs to support domestic semiconductor manufacturing and R&D. He added that he would push for “$37 billion, short term, to make sure we have this capacity,” though he did not clarify if those funds would be for CHIPS Act programs, measures to alleviate the immediate shortage, or both.
Senate Fast-Tracking Competitiveness Bill Proposing NSF Overhaul
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced last week that he has instructed Senate committees to prepare a legislative package aimed at bolstering U.S. competitiveness with China in critical technology sectors. He said its “centerpiece” will be the Endless Frontier Act, a bipartisan bill he introduced last year that envisions dramatically expanding the National Science Foundation through a new arm dedicated to advancing select technologies. Schumer added that the package could also include “emergency funding” to implement the CHIPS for America Act. Schumer said his three overarching goals are to invest in innovation and manufacturing capacity; strengthen alliances with NATO, Southeast Asia, and India; and push back on “predatory practices” by China that have led to job losses in the U.S. These match the stated goals of a major competitiveness bill called the America LEADS Act that Schumer introduced last September alongside the top Democrats on several committees. That bill endorsed the Endless Frontier Act, though it did not directly incorporate the act’s provisions, instead proposing a White House-led process for prioritizing specific technology areas.
Granholm Confirmed as Energy Secretary
Former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm was sworn in as energy secretary on Feb. 25, hours after all 50 Senate Democrats and 14 Republicans voted to confirm her nomination. Granholm is a strong advocate for rapidly transitioning to renewable energy sources and will play a significant role in implementing President Biden’s climate agenda. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Joe Manchin (D-WV), who has often expressed concern for coal-mining communities in his state, celebrated Granholm’s confirmation, remarking that “she committed to working with me to ensure that we don’t leave any workers behind as we move towards a cleaner energy future.” Committee Ranking Member John Barrasso (R-WY) voted against Granholm’s confirmation, noting concerns among Republicans about the Biden administration’s energy policy goals. This week, the committee is holding a hearing to consider Biden’s nominee for deputy energy secretary, David Turk, and the full Senate will vote to confirm Gina Raimondo as commerce secretary. Consult FYI’s Federal Science Leadership Tracker to stay up to date on the appointment process for key science agency positions.
House Appropriators Mull Alternative Energy Innovation Approaches
At a hearing last week on strategies for addressing climate change through energy innovation, leaders of the House appropriations subcommittee for the Department of Energy probed ideas for reimagining its approach to distributing funds. Subcommittee Chair Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) said DOE “needs our help” in better engaging with regions outside of states with national laboratories and asked, “How should we approach the innovation process to ensure that there are economic benefits in every region and district?” Ranking Member Mike Simpson (R-ID) said he supports increasing spending on clean energy R&D, but added he is interested in “how to structure this federal investment rather than assuming that just putting more dollars alone will be sufficient, particularly since I’m not convinced it is politically feasible to think that we can spend our way out of this issue or even outspend the economic competitors like China.” Referring to a proposal by Bill Gates to establish a “National Institutes of Energy Innovation,” Simpson asked how such institutes would complement DOE’s national laboratory system and existing research hubs, expressing concern they would “just spread out our resources.” Congress recently authorized a significant expansion of DOE’s applied energy R&D programs through the Energy Act of 2020 and Kaptur and Simpson will be responsible for drafting legislation that would provide funding to implement its provisions
Key Lawmakers Eye High-Level Issues in Defense Innovation Policy
In parallel hearings last week, the Senate and House Armed Services Committees each revisited the problem of how to improve the Department of Defense’s ability to support the rapid development of new technologies and to transition them into acquisition programs. Over the past several years, the committees and DOD have responded to this problem by creating special authorities and organizational constructs the department can use to expedite selected technology development and prototyping projects and to enter into contracts with innovative companies. At the Senate hearing, Committee Chair Jack Reed (D-RI) suggested that DOD’s broader organizational framework for development and acquisition, known as Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE), has become outdated and may require modification. On the House side, Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI), who chairs the subcommittee overseeing defense R&D, inquired about the effectiveness of Congress’ 2016 decision to separate out DOD’s research and engineering functions from its weapons system acquisition and sustainment functions. The two committees are responsible for drafting Congress’ annual defense policy update, the National Defense Authorization Act.
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Events This Week Monday, March 1
Tuesday, March 2
Wednesday, March 3
Thursday, March 4
Friday, March 5
Saturday, March 6
Monday, March 8
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Opportunities AAU Hiring VP for Immigration and International Issues
The Association of American Universities is hiring an associate vice president for immigration and international issues. The position will focus on policies concerning international students and scholars, research security, and export controls. Candidates must have at least 10 years of relevant experience. Applications are due March 22.
National Academies Seeking ‘New Voices’ in STEM
The National Academies is accepting applications for the 2021-2023 cohort of its “New Voices in Science, Engineering, and Medicine” program, which will provide 18 mid-career leaders the opportunity to advise the Academies on ways to better communicate its work and engage with broader communities of experts. Individuals who are within about 10 years of earning an advanced degree in STEM are encouraged to apply. Applications are due March 31.
NSF Accepting Input on Revisions to Major Facilities Manual
The National Science Foundation is accepting input on draft revisions to its Major Facilities Guide, which codifies policies concerning the management and oversight of major facilities funded by the agency. Among the changes, the revised manual adds a section that defines minimum competencies for facility personnel. It also updates a section on partnerships to state that facility operators must notify the agency before entering into any “formal arrangements with foreign collaborators.” Comments are due April 5.
Know of an upcoming science policy event either inside or outside the Beltway? Email us at fyi@aip.org.
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