Founded in 1863 under the presidency of Abraham Lincoln, the mission of the American Academy of Sciences is to advise the nation on matters relating to science and technology. In a new report, the institution, whose 500 members have won Nobel Prizes, is seriously concerned about the future.
As the country continues to generate 20% of the world’s gross domestic product with only around 4% of the world’s population, it will be essential to be able to rely on foreign talent and no longer simply assume that the United States remains the destination. “by default” of the best minds:
“The United States must find new and better ways to encourage scientists and engineers from around the world and their families to come to this country to work and live here.”
The report of the American Academy of Sciences “It comes at a time of growing attention to visa delays and shortages, which have encouraged talented foreign-born students and professionals to look to other countries.”says the magazine Forbes.
Towards a shortage of local talent
Also, the magazine notes, local talent is starting to run out. Forbes reproduces the results of a 2019 National Science Foundation survey. They show that, with the exception of the pharmaceutical sector, international students and foreign graduates far outnumber American students in all fields of study.
Interviewed by Forbes, Chris Miller, a microchip specialist, says immigrants have played a vital role since the inception of this industry and that recruiting engineers and scientists from abroad is the best way to strengthen the US dominance in technology. But, he points out, “The combination of new visas and travel restrictions and China’s efforts to retain its researchers could neutralize America’s historic ability to strip its geopolitical rivals of their smarter minds.”.
For an open research environment
With China clearly in its sights, the American Academy of Sciences argues in a statement that the government’s willingness to protect access to its technologies must evolve as science, technology and innovation have become more multidisciplinary and multinational, complicating efforts. to protect innovations from military or commercial competitors.
The institution then urges Joe Biden to issue a presidential decree “that maximizes the amount of work that can be done in an open research environment, an approach that will foster American leadership in science and engineering, attract top talent, and foster breakthroughs that lead to new technologies.”.
