WASHINGTON — The chairman of the House Science Committee said Thursday (Dec. 18) his panel will focus new federal R&D investments on broadband infrastructure for applications like interoperable health IT networks.
Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.) also stressed the importance of making existing U.S. funding for nanotechnology go farther by targeting electronics and energy applications.
"Where's the money going to come from all these things?" Gordon conceded. "That's a good question."
One strategy will be looking for investment "two-fers," or accomplishing two tasks for the price of one. The incoming Obama adminstration is expected to invest in broadband deployment as part of a massive economic stimulus package. Gordon said he wants to leverage broadband funding for applications like building out interoperable health IT networks that will also create jobs.
"It's important that we look for those 'two-fers'," Gordon said during a briefing on his committee's agenda for 2009.
The panel also wants to use the National Nanotechnology Initiative as a model for coordinating federal R&D funding. Current funding for the program totals about $3 billion, and Gordon wants to focus nanotechnology research on energy applications and to extend silicon electronic technology.
"Nanotechnology is really the next step" for extending silicon electronics, Gordon said.
The nanotechnology initiative serves as an coordinating agency to oversee nanotechnology research among seven federal labs. Gordon said that model could be used to make existing and future U.S. funding go farther.
Under U.S. competitiveness legislation, the budgets of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Science Foundation and Energy Department labs would be doubled over several years. Gordon said NIST would help develop interoperability standards for future health IT networks.
Gordon has also been pushing an energy agency modeled after the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. ARPA-E would focus on "high-risk, high-reward" energy research in areas like solar energy and battery technologies. The panel chairman said he envisions a nimble agency that would report to the U.S. energy secretary and focus on about a half-dozen technologies. The agency would award two- to three-year contracts to industry to tackle risky research.
A key area will be battery technologies that could be used to store energy generated from renewable sources. Gordon also said new battery technologies could help the ailing U.S. auto industry.
Noting that the embattled U.S. technology industry is shying away from risky research, Gordon added, "You can't hit the ball if you don't swing the bat."
The science panel will also look for ways to promote green manufacturing of electronics to reduce hazardous wastes generated by electronics manufacturers.
Finally, Gordon said his panel's economic competitiveness efforts will stress math and science education, with a particular emphasis on training more and better scientists and engineers. "We need to be inventing the widgets here and manufacturing those widgets here," Gordon said.
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