Science and Technology Policy Institute

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI) is a Federally funded research and development center located in Washington, D.C. STPI provides objective research and analysis on science and technology policy issues in support of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), as well as for its sponsor, the National Science Foundation, and other science-performing Federal agencies. STPI is administered by the non-profit Institute for Defense Analyses, located in Alexandria, Virginia.^[1]

History

In 1990, Congress chartered the Critical Technologies Institute (CTI). This law established CTI as a Federally funded research and development center under the sponsorship of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and supported by appropriations from the Department of Defense.^[2] During this period, CTI was administered by the RAND Corporation. In 1998, Congress enacted the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 1998, changing the name of the Critical Technologies Institute to the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI).^[3] This act also changed the sponsorship of STPI from the Department of Defense to the National Science Foundation and amended the institute's duties.^[4] In 2003, the RAND Corporation was replaced by the Institute for Defense Analyses as the administrator of STPI.

Duties and Sponsors

The Science and Technology Policy Institute's primary sponsor is the National Science Foundation (NSF), which is the main source of appropriations for STPI.^[5] STPI's primary customer is the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The work at STPI primarily focuses on supporting OSTP and its director, as well as his role as a co-chair of the United States President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. STPI also provides analytical support to the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Department of Energy, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Transportation, and other science-performing Federal agencies within the Executive branch of the United States government.^[6]

STPI provides technical analysis in a broad range of science and technology topics, including innovation, environment and energy, STEM education and workforce, space and aviation, life sciences, and scientometrics.^[7] STPI's duties include:^[8]

• The assembly of timely and authoritative information regarding significant developments and trends in science and technology research and development in the United States and abroad.
• Analysis and interpretation of the information regarding science and technology research and development, with particular attention to the scope and content of the Federal science and technology research and development portfolio as it affects interagency and national issues.
• Initiation of studies and analysis of alternatives available for ensuring the long-term strength of the United States in the development and application of science and technology.

References