The National Academy of Science Committee on Science, Engineering and Public Policy (COSEPUP) is charged to "to deliberate on initiatives for new studies in the area of science and technology policy, taking especially into account the concerns and requests of the President's Science Advisor, the Director of the NSF, the Chairman of the National Science Board, and the chairmen of key science and technology-related committees of the Congress." Its work has addressed issues of critical importance to Federal Agencies and the Nation. Among its recent studies is the widely publicized "Rising above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future", which has since helped to focus renewed attention on science and technology as a driver for U.S. competitiveness in the global economy. Since its inception, the National Science Foundation has supported COSEPUP activities. This award will provide funds for core support of COSEPUP, to continue its work as an independent advisor on issues relating to national science and technology policy.
The Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy (COSEPUP) of the National Academies exists to provide expert guidance to senior government officials and to the Academies own leadership on topics of broad concern across the science, engineering, and medical communities. The committee meets four times a year and invites guests from government, business, and universities to brief them on pressing issues and brainstorm on possible actions. The committee also oversees committee studies on specific topics and organizes public workshops at which experts can explore topics in depth. This year the committee completed a congressionally-mandated consensus study of the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, and it will soon complete consensus studies on the postdoctoral training system and on scientific integrity. It also published dtailed summaries of workshops on the Evolution of the Innovation Ecosystem and on the Arc of an Academic Research Career. COSEPUP also began exploration of a number of topics that could be the subject of future studies. Motivated by the extensive public interest in Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs), it invited a number of experts in the larger field of technology-enhanced education to discuss current and anticipated developments. It also began discussing the nation's workforce and education needs in light of the changes taking place in the workplace as new IT and robotics technology is introduced. The committee also responded to concerns about uncertainty regarding federal research spending. It looked into the growing role of private philanthropy in funding scientific research and will be inviting business leaders to discuss industry's evolving role in supporting research. Finally, in response to a suggestion from presidential science adviser John Holdren, the committee investigated how government rules limiting the travel of federal employees was affecting the participation of federal scientists and research managers in scientific meetings and the implications for scientific progress. The committee drafted a statement for the Academies on the subject.
