Europe and the US should collaborate more closely on science

When Bart Gordon, former US Representative and ex-chairman of the US House Committee on Science and Technology, was asked to speak at the ScienceBusiness Academic Enterprise Awards (ACES) conference at ETH Zurich in February, he confessed he didn’t expect to find much entrepreneurial spirit in Europe.

“But that notion was dispelled when I saw the ACES winners,” Gordon says. He was impressed with the cutting-edge research and the enthusiasm of Europe’s young researchers, and likened it to the entrepreneurial spirit he encounters among US scientists.

Gordon points to commonalities between US and European scientists, such as the appreciation of mentors. A darker shared experience is the valley of death in funding that exists between early research and the stage where technology can attract private sector investment. With a shared heritage and history, Bart believes the US and Europe can collaborate more closely on all levels, from universities to private industry and government, to improve the climate for innovation.

Working with the US Association of Former Members of Congress, Gordon is striving to increase the dialogue and cooperation between current European parliamentarians and representatives of the US Congress with similar interests. The first event, focused on agriculture, will be in June in Washington, DC. Then in July, he expects the chairs of several different committees of the European Parliament to visit Washington.

Gordon recalls how he initiated similar ties when he was a Representative, by setting up joint hearings between the Science and Technology Committee within Congress and the UK Parliamentary Science and Technology Committee, first on geo-engineering and later on rare minerals. “We’re trying to do those sorts of things to bring two bodies that have a common heritage […..] to work together,” he said.

Competing on innovation, not wages

Gordon believes that following the Lisbon Treaty, both the European Commission and European Parliament have gained more authority. “Now you have two elected bodies, the European Parliament and US Congress that represent more than 700 million people and more than half of the world’s GDP. So there’s a really opportunity for Congress and the European Parliament to work together in looking for (common) areas of research and ways to have more uniform standards and regulations.”

“There are seven billion people in the world and half of those working make less than $2 a day,” Gordon said. “We in the US don’t want to compete with the rest of world on wages, which means we have to be on top in innovation and research.”

Federal funding remains a challenge

But with public spending cuts looming in the US, Gordon worries about the fate of science and technology funding.

“We’ve got to balance our budget, but we’ve got to do it in a smart way,” he says. “You can’t just cut research funds or turn research on and off.” President Obama has proposed a five-year spending freeze, though he has kept science on a growth path.

Still, Gordon is optimistic that members of both political parties understand the importance of innovation. “I think you’ll have President Obama and much of the Democratic party and Republicans that will fight to keep that funding up,” he said. “But I don’t think we’ll get as much money as we want or need.”

Gordon believes entrepreneurs, academics and the business community must do a better job at communicating science and technology successes to the public. “They have to tell stories about past successes and use those illustrations about possibilities for future successes.”