It is no secret that the scientific research enterprise, the defense industrial base, and the technology and innovation workforce in the United States are all heavily reliant on foreign talent. Data from the National Science Board earlier this year showed that, in 2021, “foreign-born individuals made up 19% of all STEM workers and 43% of doctorate-level scientists and engineers” in the United States. Another 2022 analysis from the Institute for Progress showed that more than half of STEM doctoral degree holders (56%) working in defense-related industries in the United States were foreign-born.
Yet, a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine finds that the United States, unlike other nations that have government programs to recruit foreign talent, “does not have a whole-of-government STEM strategy” to help recruit foreign-born students, scientists, and researchers or retain the talent we already have. The report recommends that the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy oversee and coordinate a unified, multi-agency strategy to attract and retain top talent from around the world. At the same time, it recommends that the government enhance international research collaborations and create welcoming and inclusive research environments while addressing research security concerns.
The report, produced by a committee of experts convened by the National Academies at the behest of the Department of Defense, contains 11 recommendations in total for “government decision-makers and policymakers” to consider. Among other things, the report suggests that the U.S. government build on relationships with trusted international allies to develop stronger collaborative partnerships and create “easily navigable pathways to permanent residency and citizenship for qualified foreign-born STEM talent.”
It also encourages government agencies to work together and “continue to take measures to address lingering chilling effects of the China Initiative,” a now-defunct Justice Department program that drew widespread criticism for targeting researchers of Chinese heritage. In addition, the report urges all levels of government to “take a forward-looking, proactive approach to developing the nation’s domestic STEM talent” and to remove “preventing equitable access to K-12 and postsecondary education in under-resourced communities.”
The National Academies’ report echoes recommendations that AAU and the Business Roundtable made in 2022 to ensure that the United States continues to attract the world’s best and the brightest to study, conduct research, and work here. In their report, AAU and the Business Roundtable suggested several reforms to U.S. immigration policies, including eliminating current annual limits on employment-based green cards for holders of advanced STEM degrees; eliminating the visa requirement that students prove an intention to return to their home country upon conclusion of their studies; and boosting diplomatic efforts to attract STEM talent.
As AAU President Barbara R. Snyder noted in a blog post in 2022, “Our lack of action to make it easier to retain the world’s brightest STEM minds is creating an opportunity for other nations.” If we are to “solve some of the most pressing challenges currently facing the world and the United States,” she wrote, “we need to make it easier for individuals earning their advanced STEM degrees to live and work in our country.”