NASEM Report Considers Bioeconomy

A new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), entitled “Safeguarding the Bioeconomy,” concludes that the United States currently dominates the global bioeconomy landscape but needs to address several challenges, including stagnant funding for fundamental research, inadequate workforce development, cybersecurity weaknesses, decentralized leadership, and international competition, in order to support and safeguard the continued growth of the bioeconomy. The report is based on a consensus study performed by the “Committee on Safeguarding the Bioeconomy: Finding Strategies for Understanding, Evaluating, and Protecting the Bioeconomy While Sustaining Innovation and Growth” and sponsored by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The panel defines bioeconomy as “economic activity that is driven by research and innovation in the life sciences and biotechnology, and that is enabled by technological advances in engineering and in computing and information sciences.” According to the committee’s analysis, the U.S. bioeconomy is valued at more than $950 billion, which is more than 5 percent of the gross domestic product. The report recommends several actions that the U.S. should take in order to create a strong bioeconomy while also protecting it from security risks. One such recommendation is the creation of a government-wide strategic coordinating body chaired by senior White House lead...
Source: Public Policy Reports - Category: Biology Authors: Source Type: news