CGS Sends Letter to White House on the Implementation of CHIPS and Science Act

On October 20, CGS sent a letter to Dr. Arati Prabhakar, the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy on the importance of investing in graduate education when implementing the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. The CHIPS Act is said to be a “historic” and “once-in-a-generation” investment in the nation’s semiconductor industry and scientific research and innovation enterprise. CGS shares this point of view and believes that the CHIPS and Science Act is a necessary step in the authorization of scientific research and education programs.

Like previous COMPETES Act legislation, the CHIPS Act authorizes robust increases in federal funding for the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, and other federal research agencies. The CHIPS Act also authorizes programs that promote the growth of the STEM and semiconductor workforces, as well as federal programs that benefit graduate STEM education and broaden access and participation for underrepresented groups in the STEM disciplines. To broaden participation and access of women and underrepresented minorities, the CHIPS Act includes increased federal funding for Hispanic Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Minority-Serving Institutions, and emerging research institutions. The CHIPS Act also authorizes significant investments in the research infrastructure at these universities.

CGS President Suzanne Ortega said in the letter, “For the United States to remain at the forefront of scientific research, technology, and innovation, the nation must continue to make robust investments in America’s research enterprise and at all federal agencies that provide research and grant opportunities to support graduate students, postdoctoral students, and early-career researchers.” In the letter, CGS not only calls for robust funding for the nation’s research and innovation enterprise, but also encourages the Biden Administration to make provisions benefiting master’s and doctoral education a high priority when implementing the CHIPS Act.