Technology Policy International


TPI Reports



Over the last 30 years, TPI has produced many reports for clients that analyze or explain aspects of U.S. science and technology policy. Pdf versions of these reports are linked to below.



EVOLVED PRACTICES OF U.S. GRADUATE EDUCATION (December 2023)


A companion to an earlier report on interdisciplinarity in undergraduate education, this report addresses the features of the U.S. graduate education system that encourage or discourage: interdisciplinary education work focused on societal issues and diversity among students.


CROSS-DISCIPLINARY EDUCATION IN U.S. COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, PART I: UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS (March 2023)


This report examines the history, development, and character of cross-disciplinary higher education in the United States, with an emphasis on undergraduate education.



U.S. GOVERNMENT MECHANISMS TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT AND COMMERCIALIZATION OF “DEEP” TECHNOLOGIES (March 2023)


This report addresses how the U.S. government supports the development and commercialization of major innovations based on significant advances in science and technology or “deep tech," as distinguished from innovations that are largely applications of information technology, based on minimal research and development.



CURRENT U.S. POLICIES, PROGRAMSAND INSTITUTIONS THAT ATTRACTFOREIGN SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS (February 2023)


The second of two reports focused on what attracts STEM talent to the United States, this report focuses on current policies, institutions, and issues affecting the attraction and retention of STEM talent.



Responses of U.S. Universities to New Government Requirements (March 2022).


U.S. universities are subjected to a long list of requirements imposed by governments at all levels—state, local and Federal. This report examines the mechanisms through which universities respond to governmental requirements, focusing on how the unique character, management, and governance of U.S. universities shapes the processes that universities employ and the outcomes that are reached.



Science & Technology Policymaking in the U.S. Congress: The Endless Frontier Act (March 2022).


This report discusses the process of making science and technology laws in the U.S. Congress. The report focuses on how the “Endless Frontier Act” (EFA), now part of the “U.S. Innovation and Competition Act,” (USICA) has been shaped by various political actors and interests as it proceeded through the legislative process. The report follows action on this legislation up until the end of February 2022.



U.S. Technology Transition Policies and Programs (March 2021).


This report examines the effectiveness of four technology transition pathways:(1) from universities to industry (2) from government laboratories to industry (3) from R&D teams funded by government technology agencies to industry and (4) from university-industry-government laboratory institutes to industry. It also presents four brief case studies of recent government initiatives that try to improve the number and quality of technology transitions from federally-funded R&D to commercial industry.


Overview of Major U.S. R&D Agencies and Their Programs (March 2021).


This report provides a high-level overview of the Federal government’s R&D agencies, their principal programs, and their management styles. It also describes interagency coordination mechanisms for national R&D programs, and recent approaches to high risk and "convergence research."



Rules for Foreign Participation in U.S. R&D Programs (March 2020).


This report covers U.S. rules regarding participation in U.S. government research and development (R&D) programs by non-US entities. The report focuses on rules about eligibility (who can apply for federal R&D money), rules about where Federally funded R&D can be performed, and what can be done with the results.



Personnel Systems of DARPA and ARPA-E (March 2019).


This report focuses on how the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) identifies, recruits, and develops program managers. It discusses the skills PMs need, their backgrounds before coming to DARPA, their motivations for taking the jobs, and their typical careers after DARPA. The report also briefly discusses personnel practices at the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E), which was modeled after DARPA.



Government and Private Actions to Support High-Tech Entrepreneurship and Innovation in U.S. Regions (March 2018).


This report addresses how some U.S. regions have helped entrepreneurs to build successful high-tech companies and industries. It describes a series of challenges that regions need to address to build thriving entrepreneurial economies, and illustrates these with case studies of Austin, Texas Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio Knoxville, Tennessee and Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.


The Contributions of the U.S. SBIR and STTR Programs to Technology Commercialization. (January 2017).


This paper discusses the history and goals of SBIR and STTR programs what the programs have and have not accomplished, particularly in terms of innovation and commercialization their place in the overall U.S. national innovation system key features of the two programs and options for improving the programs’ performance and evaluation


Think Tanks and Related Research and Analysis Organizations for U.S. Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (September 2016).



This report identifies and assesses “think tanks” and related research and analysis organizations in the United States, especially in the Washington, DC, area, that make significant contributions to public policy dialogues regarding science, technology, and innovation policy.



DARPA's Processes for Creating New Programs (March 2016).


This study, using a series of case studies, addresses the process by which the U.S. Defense AdvancedThis study, using a series of case studies, addresses the process by which the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) develops the ideas for its programs.



Technology Transition Initiatives at the U.S. Department of Energy (March 2016).


The U.S. Department of Energy recently created a new Office of Technology Transitions (OTT). This report examines why DOE established OTT, what role it is playing in the Department’s overall technology transition efforts, and what results or outcomes might be expected.



U.S. Universities and Industry’s Human Resource Needs (January 2016).


This report addresses two principal questions: 1. Are there significant gaps between the human resource needs of U.S. industry and the graduates of U.S. universities? 2. What mechanisms are used in the United States to close such gaps as may exist?



Institutions to Perform Government-Funded R&D (September 2015).



This paper discusses the wide variety of institutional mechanisms the U.S. government uses to perform R&D and the advantages and disadvantages of the different mechanisms.​



The U.S. Defense Contribution to Commercial Technology (March 2015).



This paper provides a framework for understanding the influence of research and development (R&D) and procurement by U.S. federal agencies with a defense mission on the advancement of commercial technologies.



The Roles of the U.S. National Academies in Influencing Federal S&T Initiatives (December 2014).



This study addresses the role and influence of the U.S. National Academies in U.S. science and technology decisionmaking.



The U.S. Government’s Technology Strategy and the Process That Develops It (October 2014).


This study discusses the nature of U.S.​ technology strategy (or strategies) and and the processes involved in creating these strategies.



Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy Initiatives during the Second Obama Administration (May 2013).


This report examines 2013 Obama Administration initiatives in three areas: manufacturing, climate and energy, and brain science.​



Responses to Changing Conditions for Doctorate Recipients and Post-doctoral Researchers in the U.S. (March 2013).


This study analyzes the numbers of science and engineering doctorate recipients and post-doctoral researchers in the United States, their employment patterns and prospects, and current and proposed steps to help scientists, particularly life scientists, prepare for non-academic careers.



S&T Issues in U.S. Presidential Campaigns (Short Papers, 2012)



Paper 1. Science and Technology in U.S. Presidential Campaigns (March 2012). Paper 2. Manufacturing Issues in the 2012 United States Presidential Campaign (June 30, 2012)



The Entrepreneurial University in a Global Context (June 2011).


U.S. research universities increasingly have become "entrepreneurial" entities that think strategically and globally, having a growing economic role, and produce new ventures, both intellectual and commercial. This report analyzes this trend, particularly the research university's role in economic development and the increasing globalization of both education and research.



.The U.S. R&D Tax Credit: History, Design, and Current Status (January 2011).


This report examines the history, politics, policy design, and policy impact of the U.S. research and experimentation tax credit and offers interpretations of why the credit is as it is and what its future might be.​



National Preferences in Publicly-Supported R&D Programs (May 2010).



This study examines whether, and on what terms, "foreign" firms may participate in R&D programs supported with public funds. It specifically examines policies in the United States, Europe, and Japan.



U.S. Science and Technology Policy Transformed: Emerging Trends in the Obama Administration (May 2009).


This report addresses how President Obama has begun to change U.S. science and technology, through his view about the role of scientific knowledge in public affairs, through the appointment of highly qualified people to senior government positions, and through his postions on key areas of public policy. The large 2009 economic stimulus package has given the President and his allies in Congress a special opportunity to shape S&T policies and spending.



New Pathways in U.S. Innovation Policy (May 2008).


This paper reviews new directions in U.S. innovation policy, including those around the notion of a "post-scientific society" in which design is as important as new technical advances, and compares these new policy ideas with the views of three 2008 presidential candidates.



Innovation Policy Today in the United States: The Mainstream Consensus and Other Views (May 2007).


This report provides an analysis of the Gathering Storm report and the mainstream innovation policy consensus that has formed around it.



International Cooperation in Science and Technology: Strengthening Ties Between the United States and Japan (September 2006).


The study examines trends and policy issues surrounding U.S.-Japan bilateral cooperation in science and technology.



Perspectives on Technology Policy (Newsletters)



Issue 4. Technical Expertise in Policy-Making (January 2005)

Issue 3. The Integrity and Independence of Science Advice (September 20, 2004)

Issue 2. Science and Technology Policy — A Comparison of Kerry with Bush (June 25, 2004)

Issue 1. John Kerry’s Science and Technology Policies (June 2, 2004)



Options for Kyoto Laboratories (March 2004).


This report examines the U.S. experience with government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) laboratories and assesses if this management model might be applicable to R&D laboratories in Kyoto Prefecture.



Human Resources for Science and Technology: How the U.S. Meets National Needs (February 2004).


This report examines the system by which the U.S. produces and deploys science and technology personnel to meet its national needs.



The Decision Making Process in U.S. Science and Technology Policy (November 2003).


This report is intended to help the reader understand the formation of new science and technology policy initiatives in the United States by explaining the institutions and processes involved, and by providing some examples that illustrate both the differences and common features in new initiatives. ​



The U.S. Policy Context and Biotechnology: An Exploration of Two Current Issues (March 2003).


​This report examines two important influences on the development of biotechnology: public research funding in the area of biodefense, and the pattern of human resource mobility in American high technology sectors.



Patterns in U.S. University-Industry Relationships: Lessons from Current Experience (January 2002).



This report focuses on university-industry relationships in the U.S. as they relate to technology development and commercialization. It assesses current patterns in these relationships, elucidates how they are viewed by participants, and places them in a larger public policy perspective.



Public Policies and the Emergence of High-Technology Sectors (January 2001).



This report addresses when, how, and in what form public policy consciousness towards two emerging high technologies -- the Internet and nanotechnology -- developed in the United States. The report includes a case study of each technology, preceded by an overview of the public policy discussion of “high technology policy” in U.S. over the last several decades, and followed by conclusions about the design of public policies toward high technology sectors. Executive Summary in English. Executive Summary in Japanese.



Policy Innovation: The Initiation and Formulation of New Science and Technology Policies in the U.S. During the 1980s (March 2000).



This report addresses how science and technology policy innovations of the 1980s arose and gained acceptance. The analysis is anchored around four retrospective case studies, covering the Bayh-Dole Patent Act, the Federal Technology Transfer Act (FTTA), the Advanced Technology Program (ATP) and public policies affecting the U.S. biotechnology industry. Executive Summary in English. Executive Summary in Japanese.



Perspectives on U.S. Technology Policy (May 1998).



This report is a comprehensive primer on U.S. technology policy. It covers the history of and rationales for technology policy, the roles of various institutions, the mechanisms of technology policy, and recurring issues related to technology policy. The executive summary is 30 pages the full report is over 200 pages. Executive Summary in English.


University-Industry Research Relationships in the United States (June 1997).


This page report presents an overview of the history, distinctive features, and current issues regarding university-industry research relationships in the United States.