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The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI, IPA: stɪpi "stip-ee") is a federally funded research and development center located in
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
STPI provides objective research and analysis on science and technology policy issues in support of the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
Office of Science and Technology Policy The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is a department of the United States government, part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, Executive Office of the President (EOP), established by United States Congres ...
(OSTP), as well as for its sponsor, the
National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...
, and other science-performing federal agencies. STPI is administered by the non-profit
Institute for Defense Analyses The Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) is an American non-profit corporation that administers three federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) – the Systems and Analyses Center (SAC), Science and Technology Policy Institute, t ...
, located in
Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...
. As of May 2020, Kristen Kulinowski is the current director of STPI.


History

In 1990, Congress chartered the Critical Technologies Institute (CTI) through the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1991. This law established CTI as a federally funded research and development center under the sponsorship of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and supported by appropriations from the
Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...
. During this period, CTI was administered by
RAND Corporation The RAND Corporation, doing business as RAND, is an American nonprofit global policy think tank, research institute, and public sector consulting firm. RAND engages in research and development (R&D) in several fields and industries. Since the ...
. In 1998, Congress enacted the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 1998, changing the name of the Critical Technologies Institute to the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI). This act also changed the sponsorship of STPI from the Department of Defense to the National Science Foundation and amended the institute's duties. In 2003, RAND Corporation was replaced by the
Institute for Defense Analyses The Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) is an American non-profit corporation that administers three federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) – the Systems and Analyses Center (SAC), Science and Technology Policy Institute, t ...
as the administrator of STPI. As of 2020, there are approximately 40 individuals employed full-time, and STPI is able to contract for additional expertise on specific projects. Further, STPI is able to call upon approximately 800 of the IDA's other employees for project aid when necessary.


Sponsors and responsibilities

The Science and Technology Policy Institute's primary sponsor is the National Science Foundation (NSF), which is the main source of appropriations for STPI. NSF STPI funding for fiscal year 2020 is reported to be $4.74 million. STPI's primary customer is the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
Office of Science and Technology Policy The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is a department of the United States government, part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, Executive Office of the President (EOP), established by United States Congres ...
(OSTP). The work at STPI primarily focuses on supporting OSTP and its director, as well as her role as a co-chair of the United States President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. STPI also provides analytical support to the
National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...
(NSF), the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA), the
National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...
(NIH), the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA ) is an American scientific and regulatory agency charged with Weather forecasting, forecasting weather, monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions, Hydrography, charting the seas, ...
(NOAA), the Department of Energy, the
Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the US federal government created to protect the health of the US people and providing essential human services. Its motto is ...
, the Department of Transportation, and other science-performing federal agencies within the
executive branch of the United States government The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct branches: legislative, execut ...
. STPI provides technical analysis in a broad range of science and technology topics, including innovation, environment and energy, STEM education and workforce, space and aviation, life sciences, and
scientometrics Scientometrics is a subfield of informetrics that studies quantitative aspects of scholarly literature. Major research issues include the measurement of the impact of research papers and academic journals, the understanding of scientific citati ...
. The institute is responsible for compiling, analyzing, and interpreting information on significant science and technology research developments and trends, both in the United States and abroad. In particular, emphasis is placed on how the scope and content of federal science and technology research and development affects national and interagency issues. Other STPI duties include initiating studies and analyses to determine appropriate roles for federal and state governments, higher education institutions, and private industry in the development and application of science and technology; the primary aim is to support the long-term strength of the United States in science and technology research and development. STPI also provides technical support and assistance to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and interagency committees and panels of the federal government concerned with science and technology. STPI is required to submit an annual report to the President regarding progress made towards carrying out the responsibilities of the institute.


Research capabilities

According to the IDA, STPI is able to conduct sponsored research projects in the fields of economics, energy, environment,
scientometrics Scientometrics is a subfield of informetrics that studies quantitative aspects of scholarly literature. Major research issues include the measurement of the impact of research papers and academic journals, the understanding of scientific citati ...
, information technologies, innovation and competitiveness, life sciences, international science and technology, national and homeland security, and social and behavioral sciences and education.


Space technology and policy

STPI has a dedicated portfolio of independent and sponsored projects in the following areas related to space policy: space commercialization and legal/policy/regulatory challenges; strategic planning/coordination; space threats; exploration and space science and technology; and international activities. Select reports generated from these projects are available to the public on th
STPI space portfolio website


Fellowships and internships

The STPI offers two-year science and technology policy fellowships to individuals who have recently received bachelor's degrees. Fellows work on research projects with STPI researchers as well as various other federal government organizations including the
National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...
,
Office of Science and Technology Policy The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is a department of the United States government, part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, Executive Office of the President (EOP), established by United States Congres ...
(OSTP) and
National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...
. Paid, 10–12 week summer associate internships at IDA's Virginia and Washington, D.C. locations are also offered to current rising senior undergraduate and graduate students. Summer associates work on projects for IDA sponsors such as data analysis, literature reviews, writing reports, and designing projects.


References

{{Authority control Think tanks based in Washington, D.C. Federally Funded Research and Development Centers Military research organizations in the United States