Meghan Ostertag
Research Assistant
Meghan Ostertag is a research assistant for economic policy at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. She holds a bachelor's degree in economics from American University.
Recent Publications
Fact of the Week: Since the IRA’s Passage, the Number of Small-Molecule Cancer Treatments Entering Post-Approval Trials Has Fallen by 45.3 Percent
Since the Inflation Reduction Act's passage, the number of industry-supported small-molecule cancer treatments entering post-approval trials in the United States has fallen by 45.3 percent.
US National Power Industries Are at Risk
Instead of treating manufacturing as a monolith to be revived, policymakers must focus on national power industries. These industries protect U.S. national defense and economic security, and are eroding at an alarming rate.
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.
OECD Nations Face Steeper FDI Decline Than Emerging Economies
New OECD data show that foreign direct investment (FDI) continues to decline in advanced economies while rising in several major emerging markets, underscoring shifting global investment patterns over the past decade.
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.
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.
Fact of the Week: Data Center Capacity Will Need to Increase by 130 Percent by 2030 to Meet the Demand for AI
At the current pace of AI growth, compute demand is projected to increase by a factor of 125 by 2030, requiring more and larger data centers that consume large amounts of energy. In fact, data center capacity will need to grow by 130 percent by 2030 to meet this demand.
Fact of the Week: Inflation Is Expected to Rise to 3 Percent in the United States in 2026
Though inflation has remained relatively stable thus far in 2025, projections estimate that inflation in the United States will increase in 2026 from 2.7 percent to 3 percent.
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.
Fact of the Week: Over $1.4T More Venture Capital Funding Was Invested in U.S.-headquartered Firms than in European Firms
Compared to the United States, venture capital (VC) activity in the European Union (EU) is low, with EU-headquartered firms receiving $1.4 trillion less VC funding than their American counterparts from 2013 to 2022.
Fact of the Week: Forty Percent of Adults in Low- and Middle-Income Economies Formally Saved in 2024
Access to digital banking services has enabled more individuals to start formally saving money, with 40 percent of the population in low- and middle-income nations actively saving as of 2024, representing a 67 percent increase.
Latin American Subnational Innovation Competitiveness Index 2.0
This report ranks more than 200 regions across Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and the United States on 13 commonly available indicators of innovation competitiveness, and offers policymakers a guide to bolstering regional and national innovation capacity.
