More than 2 years in the making, a massive bill that Congress completed this week aims high: It envisions a 5-year, $280 billion investment to keep the United States ahead of China in a global competition for technological preeminence.
The CHIPS and Science Act, passed yesterday by the House of Representatives and on Wednesday by the Senate, will result in some of the biggest changes in U.S. innovation policy in more than a decade. But researchers should not expect a surge of new funding anytime soon.
The legislation calls for more than doubling the budget of the National Science Foundation (NSF)—now $8.8 billion—over 5 years. It would also grow the $7.5 billion Office of Science at the Department of Energy (DOE) by 45% and boost the $850-million-a-year research account at the National Institute of Standards and Technology by 50%.
But that money is “authorized,” not committed. That leaves it to congressional spending panels to decide each year whether to appropriate the additional dollars. The only concrete boost in spending is $52 billion over 5 years for the semiconductor industry, along with $24 billion in tax credits for high-tech manufacturers.
At the same time, the bill makes significant changes in how those agencies operate through directives that don’t require money—and that go into effect as soon as President Joe Biden signs the measure. For example, it gives NSF the legislative authority to create a technology directorate that would nurture innovations with commercial potential and social impact, adding to the agency’s traditional mission of supporting basic research. The new directorate will focus on both emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and quantum information science, and societal challenges such as combating climate change and training a tech-savvy workforce.
