Mission Statement
The R&D Policy Committee is a committee of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers - United States of America (IEEE-USA). The overall objective of the R&D Policy Committee is to develop and disseminate positions on engineering and defense research and development policies and programs in the United States within the scope of, or affecting, IEEE's technical expertise. The Committee may address all aspects of R&D policy in the United States, excepting those within the Aerospace and Energy R&D areas, where the engineering knowledge and skills of the IEEE's U.S. members can make a constructive contribution. The R&D Policy Committee may provide a vehicle for presenting the views of the IEEE-USA to the public and the appropriate elements of government. The R&D Policy Committee will prepare and present positions in accordance with IEEE-USAB procedures on any aspect of governmental or private sector R&D policy and programs within the technical and professional competence of the IEEE. The R&D Policy Committee will work to provide to the IEEE-USA membership balanced, technically sound information on research and development related matters. Priority Issues and ActivitiesThe following priority issues have been identified for committee focus: - Support for Competitiveness and Innovation Legislation
- Support federal R&D funding increases in the areas of cybersecurity, electro-technology and nanotechnology.
- Support for the
"America Competes Act" funding,
ensuring appropriations match authorization.
- Support for
science and technology knowledge retention and growth.
-
Support passage of improvements to the research and experimentation tax credit, including extension and reform of the "basic research credit" to promote collaborative research.
- Support legislation to improve technology transfer to provide the public with a more widely known, central source of information.
- Encouraging technology commercialization and partnerships.
- Support for NSF, DOC, DOD Science and Technology, and NIST funding.
- Monitoring proposals for reform of the national research laboratories.
- Promoting engineering education reforms.
- Support for the High Performance Computing Research legislation as it goes through Congress.
Current committee activities include: - Collaborating with the R&D Doubling Coalition, the Coalition for National Science Funding, the R&E Tax Credit Coalition, and the American Association of Engineering Societies.
Position Statements The following research and development policy related positions have been adopted by IEEE-USA:
Policy Communications
-
CNSF
Coalition to House and Senate Appropriations Leaders urging
National
Science Foundation funding of at least $6.854B in the anticipated
continuing budget resolution. (08 September 2008)
-
Innovation
Task Force Coalition letter to House and Senate leaders urging them to
preserve $200 million in
funding increases for
the physical sciences and engineering included in the Senate-passed
supplemental appropriations legislation. (03 June 2008)
-
Coalition
letter to Reps. Gordon and Hall endorsing a proposed
Nanotechnology
Education Partnership initiative as part of the National Science
Foundation’s (NSF) Math and Science Partnership program, which is
contained in the National Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act of
2008 (H.R. 5940) (30 May 2008)
-
Letter to
House leadership urging prompt passage of the
National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) Amendments Act of 2008
(H.R. 5940) (19 May
2008)
-
Letter to
House and Senate Appropriations Leaders urging funding of the
NIST Technology
Innovation Program as authorized in the American COMPETES Act.
(25 April 2008)
-
Coalition
letter to the President and Congressional leaders urging inclusion of
science and engineering
research, and math and science education funding in the supplemental
Fiscal Year 2008 spending bill.
(16 April 2008)
- Letter and statement submitted for
the hearing of Senate Subcommittee on Technology, Innovation and
Competitiveness on the
FY 2009
budget request for basic research. (11 March 08)
- Letter to the House Science Committee
urging Congress to enact
full funding for
America Competes Act's S&T authorization. (13 Feb. 08)
- Letter to Members of U.S. House of
Representatives encouraging their participation in the
congressional Robotics
Caucus. (1 November 2007)
- Letter to Sponsors of the
America
Competes Act (H.R. 2272, Public Law 110-69)thanking
them for their leadership. (27 August 2007)
- Letter to the House and Senate urging support for final passage of the Conference
Report on the America
Competes Act (H.R.2272). (02 Aug 2007)
- Letter to House and Senate conferees urging prompt action to reconcile and
report the
America Competes Act
(S. 761/H.R. 2272). (01 Aug 2007)
- Letter to House and Senate conferees urging inclusion of the
high-performance
provisions (Title V of H.R. 2272) in the final conference report on the America Competes Act (S. 761/H.R. 2272). (01 Aug 2007)
- Letter to the House Leadership and Ways & Means Committee members supporting
passage of the Investment in
America Act of 2007 (H.R. 2138), which would provide for the permanent extension of the Research and Development (R&D)
tax credit. (23 July 2007)
- Coalition letter by Task Force on Future of American Innovation to House and Senate leaders urging FY'08 funding increases for
research at NSF, NIST and the DOE-Office of Science. (24 April 2007)
- Letter to Senate urging passage of the "America Competes Act" (S.761). (20 April 2007)
- Statement on
Competitiveness and Basic Research for the hearing of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Science, Technology, Innovation and Competitiveness. (19 April 2007)
- Letter to House leaders endorsing
S&T funding allocations in the FY2008 budget resolution (H.Con.Res.99). (27 March 2007)
- Letter to House Science and Technology Committee endorsing the
High-Performance Computing Revitalization Act of 2007 (H.R. 1068). (28 February 2007)
- Letter to House Budget and Senate Finance Committee leaders urging revisal of funding reductions for
Science and Technology (S&T) research at the Department of Defense. (27 February 2007)
- Letter to Senator Wyden offering IEEE expertise and assistance in support of the
Congressional Nanotechnology Caucus. (05 February 2007)
- Letter commending Congressional Leaders for including increased investments in
innovation and competitiveness in the FY 2007 Continuing Budget Resolution (31 January 2007)
- Letter to Rep. Bart Gordon
endorsing the "10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds" Science and Math Scholarship Act (H.R. 362) and the Sowing the Seeds Through Science and Engineering Research Act (H.R. 363). (29 January 2007)
- Letter to House Democratic leaders urging continued support of previously approved
FY 2007 appropriations for the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Department of Energy Office of Science in the FY 2007 Continuing Resolution.
Pelosi response (19 January 2007)
- Coalition letter (Computing Research and Innovation Coalition) to House Democratic leaders urging continued support of previously approved
FY 2007 appropriations for the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Department of Energy Office of Science in the FY 2007 Continuing Resolution. (12 January 2007)
- Coalition letter (Task Force on the Future of American Innovation) urging continued support of previously approved
FY 2007 appropriations for the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Department of Energy Office of Science in the FY 2007 Continuing Resolution. (18 January 2007)
- Letter to Senators Ted Stevens and Daniel Inouye urging continued authorization and full funding for the
Technology Administration at the Department of Commerce. (18 Dec. 2006)
- Letter to Senate leaders urging support for $10M defense appropriation to complete development and construction of the
Advanced Technology Solar Telescope. (11 Dec. 2006)
- Innovation & Competitiveness Coalition letters to House and Senate Appropriations leaders expressing support for proposed
FY 2007 agency R&D appropriations at levels recommended in the President's American Competitiveness Initiative. (18 October 2006)
- Letter to William Hoagland (Senate Majority Leader's office) endorsing the
National Competitiveness Investment Act (S. 3936). (27 Sept. 2006)
- Coalition letter to Senate supporting
confirmation of Dr. Sharon Hays as the Associate Director for Science in the Office of Science and Technology Policy. (9 Sept. 2006)
- Letter sent to U.S. Senate urging Senators to support the Kennedy-Collins Amendment to the
FY07 Defense Appropriations bill (H.R. 5631). (02 August 2006)
- R&D Tax Credit Coalition letter to House and Senate leaders urging a seamless extension of a strengthened
Research and Development (R&D) tax credit. (26 June 2006)
- ASTRA Coalition letter to House leadership endorsing measures reported by the House Committee on Science
(H.R. 5356, H.R. 5357 and H.R. 5358) as well as the President’s American Competitiveness Initiative. (20 June 2006)
- Letter to House Science Committee members urging committee passage of three
education and competitiveness bills: Early Career Research Act (HR 5356); the Research for Competitiveness Act (HR 5357); and the Science and Mathematics Education for Competitiveness Act (HR 5358). (26 May 2006)
- Letter to Senate Finance Committee supporting the
Protecting America’s Competitive Edge (PACE) Finance Act (S.2199). (10 May 2006)
- Letter with Innovation and Competitiveness Coalition to President Bush requesting support to secure full funding of the President's
American Competitiveness Initiative by Congress. (5 May 2006)
- R&D Tax Credit Coalition letter to House and Senate tax conferees supporting a seamless extension of the
federal research and experimentation tax credit. (27 April 2006)
- Letter to all members of the U.S. House of Representatives urging support for full funding for
Budget Function 250 ,which funds many of the programs in the President's American Competitive Initiative. (13 April 2006)
- Statement to the Senate Commerce Committee's Technology, Innovation, and Competitiveness Subcommittee hearing on the
Importance of Basic Research to United States Competitiveness. (29 March 2006)
- Statement to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee for a hearing on
Innovation and Competitiveness legislation. (15 March 2006)
- Letter to Senate and House Budget Committee members urging them to increase budget allocations for
defense S&T funding to 3% of the FY2007 DoD budget. (21 February 2006)
- Letter to U.S. Senators urging co-sponsorship of the
National Innovation Act of 2005 (S.2109)
(10 January 2006)
Committee OrganizationChair: Jim Bielefeld Vice Chair: Richard Ford Staff: Bill Williams
Forthcoming MeetingsThe Committee holds meetings every other month. All meetings are normally held from 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. in the IEEE-USA Conference Room, 1828 L Street, N.W, Suite 1202 in Washington, DC unless otherwise indicated. Contact Bill Williams for meeting details.
ParticipationThe R&D Policy Committee invites IEEE U.S. members who have an interest and expertise in the area of research and development policy and who are willing to be active contributors to the committee's activities to join the committee as an Internet Corresponding Member. As an ICM, you will be invited to recommend committee activities, comment on draft position statements and testimonies, and otherwise participate in the business of the committee. To become an ICM, please complete and submit the following information: For more information on RDPC, its activities and how you can participate, contact Bill Williams at bill.williams@ieee.org.
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