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Science and Technology Action Committee (STAC) Progress in Implementation

August 6, 2021
Background

STAC is a group of 22 non-profit, academic, foundation, and corporate leaders working to dramatically strengthen U.S. science and technology.  In November 2020, STAC released the Science & Technology Action Plan (STAP), with recommendations centered on three overarching themes – Leadership, Coordination, and Investment – and focused on confronting threats within four broad categories: Public Health and Healthcare, Environment and Climate Change, Food and Water Security, and Energy Production, Utilization, and Storage.

In January of 2021, STAC launched the implementation of the Action Plan and is making great strides:

Socializing the Action Plan with Policymakers

STAC members are meeting to discuss the Action Plan with many key officials.

  • OSTP Director and Science Advisor to the President, Dr. Eric Lander
  • Congress, including the House Majority Leader and key members of House and Senate Appropriations, Senate Commerce and House Science Committees
  • Biden Administration officials at OMB, Commerce Department, DOE and OSTP
  • Biden Transition team members
  • By invitation of the Aspen Institute, presented to interested members of Congress
Advocating for U.S. Investment in S&T

STAC is having an impact on the policy debate.

  • STAC recommendation to elevate OSTP Director and President’s Science Advisor to Cabinet position becomes Administration policy.
  • STAC supports Dr. Eric Lander’s confirmation in letters to and conversations with members of Congress and organizes STAP endorsers to follow suit.
  • The U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA), which passed the Senate, includes language directing OSTP to determine opportunities for it to coordinate cross-agency partnerships, an important step towards the STAP recommendation.
  • President Biden’s FY2022 budget proposal includes significant increases in non-defense S&T spending, up 27% over 2021 budgets.
  • House Appropriations Committee releases extremely favorable numbers for S&T.
  • Congress is considering STAC’s recommendation to right-size OSTP’s funding to incentivize cross-agency collaboration.  
Building an Active Public Voice

STAC members are appearing in key media outlets through op-eds, LTEs and interviews and sharing statements on S&T legislative milestones with policymakers, media, and endorsing organizations.

Growing Endorsements of Action Plan

Nearly 80 marquee institutions, organizations and companies have endorsed the Action Plan with recent endorsements from the American Public Health Association, Google and Stanford University. Others include the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Amgen, Association of American Universities, Council on Competitiveness, Georgia Institute of Technology, IBM, Johns Hopkins University, MIT, National Academy of Medicine, Research!America, The Ohio State University, University of California System, and Wells Fargo.

The Science & Technology Action Committee (STAC) is a group of 25 non-profit, academic, foundation, and corporate leaders working to dramatically strengthen U.S. science and technology. The Committee is co-chaired by: Bill Novelli, Professor Emeritus and founder of Business for Impact at Georgetown University and former CEO of AARP, Sudip Parikh, CEO, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and Executive Publisher of the Science Family of Journals, Mary Woolley, President & CEO of Research!America, and Keith Yamamoto, Vice Chancellor for Science Policy and Strategy at UCSF and Immediate Past President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).