In invited testimony March 24th before the U.S. House Science and Technology Committee's Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation, Dan Breznitz offered a globally informed perspective on the federal government's role in supporting innovation.

Breznitz, Associate Professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and the School of Public Policy, testified at the request of the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation hearing entitled Supporting Innovation in the 21st Century Economy. A theme of the hearing was the need for a comprehensive federal strategy to create an environment that is conducive to innovation in the United States. According to the witnesses, a comprehensive innovation strategy would include components such as a tax policy amenable to attracting capital, a more efficient process to transition research to commercialization and immigration policies that attract the best and the brightest and keep them in the United States.

Breznitz outlined the challenges associated with government efforts to enable innovation and the lessons the U.S. might take from other countries. He discussed three roles that the government has to play in innovation policy: public financing of private innovation; public production of innovation (i.e. financing of industrial research at nonprofit institutions); and facilitation of professional, interinstitutional networks. He also suggested that federal-state partnerships could stimulate states to compete in the development of different, experimental and creative policies for innovation and encourage regional collaboration.

Other testimony during the hearing was presented by Aneesh Chopra, Chief Technology Officer in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; Mark Kamlet, Provost at Carnegie Mellon University; Rob Atkinson, President of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation; and Paul Holland, General Partner at Foundation Capital.

A PDF of Breznitz remarks and a webcast of the hearing with complete witness testimony is available at the link below.