Equity as a fundamental component for advancing critical and emerging technology capabilities

Experts: Cassidy Sugimoto (Georgia Tech), Sanya Carley (Indiana University), Laurel Smith-Doerr (U. Mass), Vincent Lariviere (U. Montreal), Christophe Combemale (CMU), Thema Monroe-White (Berry), and Joe Bozeman (Georgia Tech)

An emerging body of research suggests that diversity is highly linked to positive outcomes in science, technology, and innovation (Herring, 2009, Hofstra et al., 2020). It is also clear that deployment of and access to technologies are not distributed equally (AlShebli et al., 2018; ). It is essential, therefore, to both leverage the full talents of the nation to maintain competitiveness in science and technology (Husbands Fealing et al., 2015) and to understand the differential impacts (in terms of prosperity, jobs, and equity) of the introduction of new technologies for different demographics and regions. This research will integrate equity into the work of the network in global and domestic situational awareness, in the deep dive cases, and in intersection with other cross-cutting themes (elicitation). To complement the work of Ahn, Lane, and Lerner, Sugimoto (together with colleagues Monroe-White and Lariviere) will investigate equity in (a) scientific and technological capabilities (at the national and global level), (b) emergence and demonstrations of innovation, and (c) concentration of investment. This investigation will inform science policy focused on broadening participation by providing both a state-of-the-art reporting on disparities, and a macro-analysis of the consequences of these disparities for innovation and the economy.