FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Association of American Universities (AAU) thanks Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) for introducing the American Innovation Act, legislation that would help close the nation’s innovation deficit by bolstering funding for several federal research agencies that are key drivers of the nation’s innovation ecosystem.
The American Innovation Act would increase funding over the next six years for the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, the Department of Defense’s science and technology programs, the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s scientific and technical research and services, and NASA’s science directorate. By providing steady funding increases for these agencies and programs, the legislation would help ensure that our nation supports the scientific research and education that are essential to the nation’s long-term economic growth and national security, as well as to the quality of life for all Americans.
Taken together, the American Innovation Act and Senator Durbin’s American Cures Act, which would provide similarly dependable and strong funding increases for the National Institutes of Health and other federal health research programs, would take the nation a long way toward closing the innovation deficit.
AAU thanks Senator Durbin for his leadership in highlighting the importance of national investments in the nation’s future and seeking to help close the innovation deficit.
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The Association of American Universities (AAU)is an association of 60 U.S. and two Canadian public and private research universities. It focuses on issues such as funding for research, research policy issues, and graduate and undergraduate education. AAU member universities are on the leading edge of innovation, scholarship, and solutions that contribute to the nation's economy, security, and wellbeing. AAU’s 60 U.S. universities award nearly one-half of all U.S. doctoral degrees and 55 percent of those in STEM fields.