Science and R&D
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As nations engage in a race for global advantage in innovation, ITIF champions a new policy paradigm that ensures businesses and national economies can compete successfully by spurring public and private investment in foundational areas such as research, skills, and 21st century infrastructure. In the area of science and R&D policy, ITIF promotes public and private investment in research and development through public funding for research at national laboratories and universities, tax incentives to encourage business R&D, and policies to spur technology transfer from lab to market.
Vice President, Global Innovation Policy, and Director, Center for Life Sciences Innovation
Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
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Head of Policy, Centre for Canadian Innovation and Competitiveness
Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
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China Is Rapidly Becoming a Leading Innovator in Advanced Industries
There may be no more important question for the West’s competitive position in advanced industries than whether China is becoming a rival innovator. While the evidence suggests it hasn’t yet taken the overall lead, it has pulled ahead in certain areas, and in many others Chinese firms will likely equal or surpass Western firms within a decade or so.
Why Congress Should Restore Full Expensing for Investments in Equipment and Research and Development
The tax law allowing firms to fully expense their research and development (R&D) costs expired at the end of 2021, and full expensing of equipment costs will begin phasing out in 2023. This decreases firms’ incentive to invest in these key drivers of economic growth and competitiveness. Congress should restore and make permanent full expensing for these investments.
More Publications and Events
November 14, 2025|Blogs
USG Investment in Industrial Research Low Compared to OECD Peers
The United States is investing less in R&D for industrial production than its OECD peers. Congress should increase investment in this area to better compete with China.
November 3, 2025|Blogs
Fact of the Week: University Patents Underpinned 50 Percent of FDA-approved Drugs
Since the Bayh-Dole Act was passed 50 percent of FDA-approved drugs today rely on (at least some) applied research originating in universities.
November 3, 2025|Blogs
Fact of the Week: R&D Investment Is Slowing in OECD Countries, From 3.6 Percent to 2.4 Percent
Between 2022 and 2023, R&D investment in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations grew by 2.4 percent, a slowdown from the 3.6 percent growth the previous year.
October 29, 2025|Blogs
Government Funding: The Unsung Hero of Innovation and Progress
The government-funded research initiatives that sustain our intellectual infrastructure—the body of scientific knowledge that underpins success in all other domains—must continue and receive more support than they have previously.
October 14, 2025|Blogs
Fact of the Week: US R&D Value Added Has Increased by 63 Percent from 2013 to 2023
According to the BEA’s R&D Satellite Account, R&D value added has increased in real terms from 2013 to 2023 by 63 percent.
October 7, 2025|Blogs
Asian Students Are America’s STEM Advantage: Why Merit Should Matter
Asians earn bachelor’s degrees in STEM fields at much higher rates than other racial and ethnic groups, strengthening the United States’ innovation capacity, industrial base, and global competitiveness. Their academic success is an asset that should be rewarded, not penalized.
October 7, 2025|Blogs
Taxing University Royalties Would Deliver Few Benefits, but Great Harms
A new proposal to tax university patent royalties would do little to benefit taxpayers while undermining the Bayh-Dole system that drives U.S. innovation, risking America’s global leadership in turning research into real-world breakthroughs.
September 15, 2025|Reports & Briefings
How Reducing Federal R&D Reduces GDP Growth
Cutting federal investments in R&D may appear to save billions in the budget, but it could cost the economy trillions. In fact, ITIF estimates that cutting federal R&D by 20 percent would cost the U.S. economy up to almost $1.5 trillion compared with China’s growth pace.
September 15, 2025|Blogs
Fact of the Week: Nine of the Top 10 Global Research Universities Are in China
In a ranking based on the total number of high-quality research articles they publish over the calendar year, Chinese universities claim 9 of the top 10 spots in the academic category.
August 4, 2025|Blogs
Taxing Patent Value Is a Patently Bad Idea
A proposed patent tax would punish startups, weaken U.S. competitiveness, and gut a system that has powered American innovation for centuries—all without solving the budget problem it aims to address.
