Science Leaders Prepare Pitch for National Defense Education Act 2.0

Efforts to develop a nationwide STEM talent strategy modeled on the National Defense Education Act of 1958 are making progress, with advocates planning to present a proposal to the incoming administration this December.

Passing a new NDEA, or NDEA 2.0, is something that past and present leaders of the National Science Board have said is necessary to inspire more children to pursue science careers, boost funding for basic research, and fend off growing technological competition from China.

With the upcoming presidential election, now is a “moment of opportunity to address the domestic STEM talent crisis,” said Darío Gil, chair of the National Science Board and director of IBM Research, during a meeting of the National Academies Board on Higher Education and Workforce on Oct. 11.

“We have seen growing bipartisan interest from Congress, and I think the next administration, regardless of election outcome, could embrace it,” Gil said. The domestic STEM talent crisis is so “broad and deep,” it needs a “big, bold legislative response, and NDEA 2.0 is that response,” he said, adding that “half measures and band-aids are not going to meet this moment.”

NDEA 2.0 proponents are seeking funding on the scale of $20 billion over five years — a figure that Gil said in an email is based on the size and scale of the original NDEA, when adjusted for inflation, as well as estimated STEM talent needs. How exactly this funding should be spent needs “considerable refining,” Gil said, noting it is “critical that decisions about investment be made by the investors, from government, industry, and philanthropy.”

The original NDEA aimed to help the U.S. boost education in science, mathematics, and foreign languages in response to the Soviet Union’s Sputnik satellite launch in 1957. The NDEA provided $1 billion in funding for student loans, academic scholarships, and fellowship grants, and is credited with helping to boost the number of students pursuing college degrees from 3.6 million students in 1960 to 7.5 million in 1970.

The new NDEA would focus on STEM education and training in areas that are critical for U.S. economic competitiveness and national security, such as AI. Gil said the approach will be three-pronged: investing directly in STEM students in critical areas, addressing the STEM teacher shortage, and investing in local STEM education and workforce ecosystems. The legislation should also address industry needs, said Gil.

“As someone from the business sector, I can tell you that we want to help, but we don’t want to be brought in at the end and asked to support a solution that we didn’t help shape and which doesn’t meet our needs,” Gil said during the meeting last week.

While attendees at the National Academies Board on Higher Education and Workforce meeting last week expressed broad support for NDEA 2.0, some acknowledged the challenge of securing sufficient funding, noting that the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act is yet to be fully funded. Attendees also noted the challenge of proposing legislation that aims to boost diversity in STEM given recent state-level anti-DEI legislation targeting higher education. To gain bipartisan support, attendees suggested that discussion of the bill focus on meeting industry workforce needs, securing state match funding to overcome federal funding constraints, and highlighting the need for the U.S. to boost its global standing in science and technology given increasing competition from China.

Though the NSB has taken the lead in pushing for new STEM talent legislation, Gil emphasized that this effort is “bigger than the board.” So far, much of the outreach about NDEA 2.0 led by the NSB has been one-on-one meetings, but events such as the National Academies meeting last week are important opportunities, Gil said.

“We are working with anyone who is interested, pursuing conversations with industry, philanthropy, and defense-sector leaders, as well as with the Science and Technology Action Committee,” said Gil, adding that “we plan more meetings and discussions ASAP.”