Do you think America is ready to compete in the future global marketplace?
Will it cede, or is it already ceding, its title as the modern birthplace of innovation, high-tech companies, and scientific investment?
According to the report Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America For a Brighter Economic Future, created by titans of US industry and academia, during the George W. Bush presidency and the American Competes Act that it spurred, the United States is woefully unprepared to compete in the 21st century. President Obama has echoed that sentiment calling for investment in education and long-term research.
Still not sure? Well, look to Europe. In a recently released report, the European Research Area Board said increased public understanding of science and increased investment in education and in research is needed to keep Europe economically viable in 2030. Science magazine's ScienceInsider blog had an interesting post about the report and its feasibility.
The take-home message is that the rest of the world is setting itself up to take advantage of the next wave of game-changing advances that will revolutionize industry and power economies just as the industrial and digital revolutions did. If America wants to have a chance of competing in the that new world, it had better invest at least as much in research and development and education as Europe and Asia do.
