Summer Backs Science Funding

University President Lawrence H. Summers joined over 100 other university presidents, politicians and industry leaders in signing an open letter printed in national newspapers yesterday urging the government to bolster American economic competitiveness by devoting more funds to science and engineering research.

The letter was timed to coincide with the beginning of serious consideration of next year’s federal budget by Congress and the White House, Harvard’s Senior Director of Federal and State Relations Kevin Casey said.

Published as an advertisement in the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal, the letter voiced concern that the rising scientific sophistication of other countries poses a challenge to the United States’ technological and economic leadership.

“To remain at the forefront, America must increase investments in basic research, improve math and science education, provide incentives for research and development and attract and retain the brightest minds from all around the globe,” the letter stated.

Casey said the letter is a product of the Council of Competitiveness, a long-standing organization of business and university representatives in which Summers participates.

The range of influential figures who signed the letter reflects the widespread consensus that an increased commitment to American innovation should be a national priority, Casey said.

Those who signed the open letter include Microsoft President Steven A. Ballmer ’77, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Secretary of State Madeline K. Albright, and the presidents of Yale, Princeton, and MIT.

The letter has been in the works for a long time, according to Casey, and was not conceived as a response to the American Competitiveness Initiatives President Bush announced in his State of the Union address last Tuesday, or the funds he allotted to these programs in his proposed budget Monday.

As part of the budget, Bush suggested giving $3.7 billion over 5 years to low-income students majoring in math or science. He also increased federal research and development funding by over $3 billion, according to Inside Higher Ed.

—Staff writer Lois E. Beckett can be reached at lbeckett@fas.harvard.edu.