Steve Cross, Georgia Tech’s executive vice president for research, was one of 11 panelists for Wednesday’s roundtable discussion about “The State of American Science.” The event, organized by the Association of American Universities and The Science Coalition, covered funding, university research and related public policy issues.

“Scientific and technological discovery has been the driving force of American innovation for more than a century, and has resulted in critical advancements in public health, economic growth and national security,” Cross said. “Many of those breakthroughs were realized in the laboratories of the country’s best research universities and made possible because of federal investment and industry collaboration.”  

In 2016, Georgia Tech conducted $791 million in research. The Institute also helped launch more than 100 new startups last year. During the 2016 fiscal year, Georgia Tech received 72 patents and 657 industry contracts.

“Georgia Tech is proud to participate with our peer institutions in this discussion, and we believe it is imperative our institution and others continue the valuable research happening on our respective campuses,” Cross said.

The other panelists included senior research officers from: Florida State University, Iowa State University, Johns Hopkins University, Marquette University, Purdue University, State University of New York, University of California – San Francisco, University of Chicago, University of Missouri – Columbia and University of Rochester.

Several reporters attended the event, including representatives from Science, Bloomberg, Reuters, The Washington Post, Inside Higher Ed and The Chronicle of Higher Education.

The panelists told reporters how universities help fuel the country’s innovation ecosystem. They explained the role of science in policy making and the role of scientists as advocates. They also discussed the impact of proposed cuts to research funding and policies that affect where and how people conduct research.

The panel, held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. afternoon, was moderated by Jeffrey Selingo, a visiting scholar at Tech’s Center for 21^st Century Universities.