When Freedom, Science and Innovation Meet

The celebration of America's 229th Independence Day is an excellent time to reflect on what this freedom has meant to America in terms of science and innovation. The United States has clearly enjoyed more than 50 years of leadership in this arena, and I suggest that this leadership is intrinsic to our values and freedoms. Science and innovation require freedom. At its heart, science is about the freedom to create, to understand and to challenge. In a nation where there are no bounds on what an individual can pursue, on what he or she can aspire to, freedom provides the foundation for scientific experimentation and innovation. As we see the emergence of freedom in other countries, accompanied by the necessary resources and education to pursue this freedom, we are challenged. The Council on Competitiveness's National Innovation Initiative was launched in 2003 to ensure that America's leadership remains strong, because freedom is not enough resources and education are also essential. The question before us as a nation is how to provide these resources and encourage education in science. Before addressing this question it is essential to understand this connection between freedom, science and innovation. America has been a magnet for people who wish to pursue their dreams. Our universities have attracted people from all over the world. Once they have been in this milieu of freedom, they find themselves attracted to our culture and often stay. During these 50-plus years of innovation, existing paradigms were being challenged on every front in both industry and the academic world, and new discoveries were made. Although not a formal definition, I consider innovation to be the application of science for useful purposes. Thus, innovation affects our lives. Science does so through its application, through innovation. From nuclear energy to consumer products, U.S. research laboratories have turned out a dazzling array of products that have revolutionized our lives and given us the highest standard of living in the world. The elements for success have been many. Even the Cold War produced a significant government investment in research and development, Immigrants from all over came and saw scientific education as a way to success, attending universities where they could work with the world's best minds. Resources and education came together to produce more and more scientists and the resulting breakthroughs in our understanding and ability to manipulate nature. This unique milieu, in which students from 100 countries come together with the freedom to discuss any topic, to approach any problem in whatever way makes sense, is the pinnacle of education. Where diversity of backgrounds and training come together with the freedom to challenge the existing paradigms, the results have been earth-changing. Scientists came into industry with this same mindset and the freedom to create. The innovations that resulted were almost miraculous. New forms of communication, cures for diseases, and methods for collecting and using massive amounts of data dramatically changed every aspect of our lives. …