Both candidates occasionally have addressed issues of federal support for basic science in speeches and position papers. But they have been devoting considerably more effort to articulating the economic and environmental benefits to be reaped from applied research, new technologies, and revitalized U.S. research and development facilities.
Despite their enthusiasm for high tech, however, Bush and Clinton pointedly disagree about how the government should go about encouraging the growth of private-sector R&D investment and technology-based industries.
Considerably less divergent than their positions concerning R&D and technology development have been the candidates' views on basic science. While neither has been particularly vocal on the subject, both have expressed support for sustaining U.S. strength in basic research.
Clinton, for example, has stated in a position paper that "university research accounts for a large part of the federal basic research budget. Funding for basic university research should continue to be provided for a ...
