CTO Roundtable Summary Available

The Chemical Industry has recently joined the long list of US industries with a negative trade balance, and investments in chemical science R&D are following the migration of manufacturing to overseas. Chemical sciences are core competences for most industries and are vital for US efforts to improve its competitiveness and energy security. President Obama has proposed to increase US R&D investments from the current 2.6% to 3% of the GDP, but how can this be accomplished, and is it enough to reverse the tide?

The Council for Chemical Research (CCR) organized a CTO Roundtable to bring together science and technology leaders from industry, universities and the federal government to discuss the Future of the US Chemical Enterprise: How can US Policy Enhance Chemical Science Innovation?  The Roundtable participants discussed some of the most important questions for the nation, including:

•  Does an increase in US based R&D translate into an increase in manufacturing activity in the US?

•  What type of tax and other incentives can the Federal government provide to encourage global companies to locate their R&D facilities in the US?

•  What type of tax and other incentives can the Federal government provide to encourage global companies to locate their manufacturing facilities in the US?

•  How can the Federal government encourage industry to increase its R&D investments in the US and contribute to the goal of the current Administration to increase total US R&D investments (public and private) up to 3% of GDP?

•  How can the Federal government accelerate US innovation?

Leaders of the chemical science R&D enterprise from industry, universities, and government laboratories participated in this Roundtable.

Read the full CTO Roundtable Summary.