This workshop will discuss the linkages between science, technology and the economy. These meetings will engage physical scientists, economists, science policy experts and other interested groups on these critical issues. Some of the questions to be addressed include: What have been the distinguishing characteristics of science and technology influences on economic growth? How can these lessons be applied to current structural issues facing the U.S. economy and future economic growth? What are the key science and technology challenges that must be addressed to achieve energy and environmental sustainability? How would the policy framework maximize the effectiveness of science and technology investments in supporting sustainable economic growth? The Summit will complete its objectives with a series of events, including plenary Summit meetings in Spring 2010 and 2011 and more focused workshops in the interim.
The Howard Baker Center for Public Policy, the European Commission, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars organized the EU-US Summit on Science, Technology, Innovation, and Sustainable Economic Growth. The Summit, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, and the European Commission, examined the critical impacts of investments in science, technology, and innovation on sustainable economic growth. There is increasing national emphasis on the importance of both science and sustainable economic growth, with science underpinning the creation of new industries and "green jobs." The Summit, whose activities extended over two years, explored the links between science and economic growth and included two meetings and four workshops. It is important that policymakers, scientists, and the broader public understand the implications of how research in science and technology affects both the structure and long-term growth of the economy. The Summit has proved unique in two important respects. First, it has prompted an interdisciplinary examination by leading scientists, economists, and policy analysts of the relationship between science and sustainable economic growth, tracing the process from discovery through technology development to sustainable economic growth. While other meetings and symposia have looked at the impacts of science and technology on the economy, they have tended to be more disciplinary in nature and designed for specific audiences. Also, they have tended to focus more on narrow aspects of the growth process, such as the innovation process. In contrast, the Summit was structured to engage a diverse audience but also to produce results that are of interest to specialists in science and science policy. Second, the Summit has taken place at a time when policy is being discussed and developed to restructure the economy in a way that will affect long-term production and employment. The Summit began with a one-day meeting in Washington, D.C., on September 28, 2010. At this initial meeting, participants discussed how past linkages among investments in science, technology, and education have affected job creation, employment, and economic growth. While the Summit was designed to address the impact of science, technology, and innovation’s on sustainable economic growth, it has given specific attention to the critical areas of energy and the environment and the necessary innovations for achieving a low-carbon economy. The Summit’s opening meeting was followed by four workshops held in 2011 at the Howard Baker Center in Knoxville, Tennessee; the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C.; the Paris School of International Affairs in Paris, France; and the European Commission’s Conference Center in Brussels, Belgium. The two U.S. workshops focused on energy and the critical link between energy and water. The third workshop, held in Paris, focused on energy security, and the fourth workshop, held in Brussels, explored innovation that is necessary to move toward a post-carbon economy. The Summit’s final plenary meeting was convened September 11, 2012, at the Woodrow Wilson Center to summarize the findings and examined the implications of a post-carbon world. The presentations made at the the final plenary meeting will be published in a special volume of the journal Futures.
