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Science and technology backed partnership
Opportunity everywhere translates to innovation thriving anywhere, from the local level to the global stage. That is especially important for the partnership between the U.S. and India, the world’s largest as it celebrates 76 years of independence.
The first official stop on the Indian Prime Minister’s recent state visit to the United States was the headquarters of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF).
We were honored to host Prime Minister Narendra Modi and First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, a passionate educator intensely focused on the success of every student everywhere across our nation, who led us in a panel discussion aptly focused on the future workforce. That discussion perfectly aligned with the NSF vision for opportunity everywhere and innovation anywhere in the United States.
This is truly the American dream. It flourished with investments in research and education after World War II that were responsible for our nation’s leadership in innovation, creating new technologies, raising household incomes, and establishing a strong American middle class.
The discussions with Prime Minister Modi reaffirmed our shared commitment to the idea that regardless of a person’s location or background, they should have the opportunity to rise through their hard work and merit. Opportunity everywhere translates to innovation thriving anywhere, from the local level to the global stage.
That is especially important for the partnership between the U.S., the world’s oldest democracy, and India, the world’s largest as it celebrates 76 years of independence. The Prime Minister’s visit also underscored the growing recognition of the role science and technology play in advancing global leadership.
In the last five years, NSF invested nearly $150 million in India through over 200 projects. Just last year, we launched 35 new joint projects with the Department of Science & Technology. Our partnership with India is firmly grounded on our shared values and aspirations. These principles align with democratic values and therefore catalyze universal scientific progress. The golden era of investments in science, technology and innovation peaked in 1964 and was followed by gradual decline, offshoring, and more recently, COVID related supply chain disruptions. It is therefore a generational opportunity that the U.S. Congress passed the CHIPS and Science Act last year.
This remarkable bipartisan effort could supercharge scientific progress and make the American dream more accessible than ever before. The CHIPS and Science Act calls for substantial investments in research, innovation, and manufacturing as well as local education and workforce opportunities. People want these opportunities that lead to high-paid technology and manufacturing jobs.
They want to be able to afford to live with dignity where they work, and to find dignified work where they live. Prime Minister Modis’ emphasis on democratizing access and opportunity through India’s national science funding agencies, as outlined in the Union Council of Ministers’ recent proposal for the new National Research Foundation (NRF), further demonstrates our shared commitment. NRF will provide crucial investments to state-run universities, seeding research, fostering development, and empowering groundbreaking discoveries.
One example to spotlight, backed by a substantial $318 million investment from India, is the LIGO-India observatory, which represents a major milestone in the collective pursuit of knowledge. By joining a global network dedicated to exploring fundamental research questions, the LIGO-India observatory opens a broader window into the mysteries of the universe. Such investments ignite curiosity and inspire wonder. The partnership between NSF and NRF has the potential to further accelerate scientific and technological progress, unleash innovations, and expand opportunities. Ultimately, not only the United States and India will benefit, but the entire world.
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