The America COMPETES Act is intended to increase the nation's investment in science and engineering research, and in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education from kindergarten to graduate school and postdoctoral education. The act is designed to focus on two perceived concerns believed to influence future U.S. competitiveness: inadequate research and development funding to generate sufficient technological progress, and inadequate numbers of American students proficient in science and mathematics or interested in science and engineering careers relative to international competitors. Among its provisions, the act authorizes the following:
Research
Funding of research supported by NIST, the DOE Office of Science, and the NSF for FY2008-FY2010 at a rate that, if sustained, would double these agencies' research budgets over seven years; Early career and new investigator grants for science, engineering, and mathematics researchers at DOE and NSF; A new Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) in DOE that would sponsor transformational energy technology research projects; and New Discovery Science and Engineering Innovation Institutes at DOE National Laboratories, which are multidisciplinary institutes that are intended to apply fundamental science and engineering discoveries to technological innovations. The America COMPETES Act and the ACI responded to the same concern—that the United States may not be able to compete economically with other nations in the future due to insufficient investment today in science and technology research and workforce development. The STEM education programs in the America COMPETES Act include
a pilot program of grants to states to help establish or expand statewide specialty high schools in STEM education; experiential-based learning opportunities, internships for middle and high-school students including hands-on learning at the DOE national labs; centers of excellence in STEM education in at least one high-need, public secondary school in each DOE National lab region, in order to develop and disseminate best practices in STEM education; summer institutes at the DOE national labs and partner universities, in order to improve the STEM content knowledge of kindergarten through 12 th grade teachers throughout the country; a newly appointed Director for STEM Education at the Department of Energy, who would also serve as an interagency liaison for K-12 STEM education; a graduate research fellowship program for outstanding graduate students, called Protecting America's Competitive Edge (PACE), in fields of interest to the DOE plus imagination, creativity, and excellent written and oral communication skills; two new competitive grant programs at the Department of Education (ED), called Teachers for a Competitive Tomorrow, that would enable partnerships to implement, in STEM fields, courses of study that lead to a baccalaureate degree with concurrent teacher certification, and at the graduate level, a two- or three-year, part-time, master's degree program for current teachers to improve their content knowledge and teaching skills in these areas as well as a one-year master's degree program for STEM professionals to enhance their teaching skills and teacher certification. The act also authorizes a new program at NSF that would provide grants to institutions of higher education to create or improve professional science master's (PSM) degree programs that emphasize practical training and preparation for the workforce in high-need fields. An issue for these programs is whether or not they will receive the funding necessary to establish them. New programs established by the act would not be initiated, and authorized increases in appropriations for existing programs would not occur unless funded through subsequent appropriation acts. The 110 th Congress provided FY2008 appropriations to establish ED's Teachers for a Competitive Tomorrow program, and NIST's Technology Improvement Program (TIP), which replaced the existing Advanced Technology Program. The 111 th Congress provided FY2009 appropriations to establish DOE's ARPA-E and NSF's PSM program. Although some America COMPETES Act research and STEM education programs received appropriations at authorized levels in FY2009, others did not, as described below. As Congress deliberates the FY2010 budget, an issue for Congress is what level, if any, will it provide America COMPETES Act programs an appropriation, and whether or not the President's budget request will propose to do so. Several programs newly authorized in the act have never been appropriated funds. The America COMPETES Act provides authorization levels only through FY2010. 110-69 ) on August 9, 2007.
The America COMPETES Act (P.L. 110-69) became law on August 9, 2007. The act responds to concerns that the United States may not be able to compete economically with other nations in the future due to insufficient investment today in science and technology research and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and workforce development. The America COMPETES Act is intended to increase the nation's investment in science and engineering research and in STEM education from kindergarten to graduate school and postdoctoral education. It is designed to focus on two perceived concerns believed to influence future U.S. competitiveness: inadequate research and development funding to generate sufficient technological progress, and inadequate numbers of American students proficient in science and mathematics or interested in science and engineering careers relative to international competitors.
The act authorizes funding increases for the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) laboratories, and the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science over FY2008-FY2010. If maintained, the increases would double the budgets of those entities over seven years. The act establishes the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) within DOE, designed to support transformational energy technology research projects with the goal of enhancing U.S. economic and energy security. A new program, Discovery Science and Engineering Innovation Institutes, would establish multidisciplinary institutes at DOE National Laboratories to "apply fundamental science and engineering discoveries to technological innovations," according to the act.
Among the act's education activities, many of which are focused on high-need school districts, are programs to recruit new K-12 STEM teachers, enhance existing STEM teacher skills, and provide more STEM education opportunities for students. The new Department of Education (ED) Teachers for a Competitive Tomorrow and existing NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship programs provide opportunities, through institutional grants, for students pursuing STEM degrees and STEM professionals to gain teaching skills and teacher certification, and for current STEM teachers to enhance their teaching skills and understanding of STEM content. The act also authorizes a new program at NSF that would provide grants to create or improve professional science master's degree (PSM) programs that emphasize practical training and preparation for the workforce in high-need fields.
The America COMPETES Act is an authorization act. New programs established by the act will not be initiated and authorized increases in appropriations for existing programs will not occur unless funded through subsequent appropriation acts. The 110th Congress provided FY2008 appropriations to establish ED's Teachers for a Competitive Tomorrow program, and NIST's Technology Improvement Program (TIP), which replaced the existing Advanced Technology Program. The 111th Congress provided FY2009 appropriations to establish DOE's ARPA-E and NSF's PSM program. Although some America COMPETES Act research and STEM education programs received appropriations at or above authorized levels in FY2009, others did not.
As Congress deliberates the FY2010 budget, an issue for Congress is what level, if any, will it provide America COMPETES Act programs an appropriation, and whether or not the President's budget request will propose to do so. Several programs newly authorized in the act have never been appropriated funds. An issue for these programs is whether or not they will receive the funding necessary to establish them. The America COMPETES Act provides authorization levels only through FY2010.