拜登的科學(xué)新政

翻譯 | 返樸

2021年1月15日

埃里克·S·蘭德博士（Eric S. Lander, Ph.D.）

所長(zhǎng)、創(chuàng)始主任

麻省理工學(xué)院-哈佛大學(xué)博德研究所

親愛(ài)的蘭德博士：

1944年，富蘭克林·羅斯?？偨y(tǒng)向他的科學(xué)顧問(wèn)萬(wàn)尼瓦爾·布什（Vannevar Bush）博士去信，詢問(wèn)二戰(zhàn)后應(yīng)如何最大限度地利用科學(xué)與技術(shù)來(lái)造福國(guó)家的衛(wèi)生健康、經(jīng)濟(jì)繁榮以及國(guó)家安全。布什博士以一份題為《科學(xué)——無(wú)盡的疆域》（Science—The Endless Frontier）的報(bào)告做出了回應(yīng)。后來(lái)，這份報(bào)告為美國(guó)國(guó)家科學(xué)基金會(huì)（National Science Foundation）的成立打下了基礎(chǔ)，并推動(dòng)了美國(guó)戰(zhàn)后至今75年來(lái)的科學(xué)發(fā)現(xiàn)。

這些年來(lái)，人類(lèi)歷史上一些最重大的科學(xué)進(jìn)步是在美國(guó)的引領(lǐng)下完成的。但四分之三個(gè)世紀(jì)過(guò)去了，我們的生活面貌已經(jīng)發(fā)生改變。技術(shù)和工業(yè)有起有落，數(shù)字化領(lǐng)域的出現(xiàn)重新定義了我們創(chuàng)新、交流和體驗(yàn)世界的方式。而且，發(fā)現(xiàn)本身的性質(zhì)也在急遽改變——高遠(yuǎn)至外層太空，復(fù)雜至微觀世界，這些在不久前還是無(wú)法想象的。

鑒于此，我們應(yīng)當(dāng)革新并重振我國(guó)的科學(xué)技術(shù)戰(zhàn)略，為下一個(gè)75年鋪就堅(jiān)實(shí)的道路，讓我們的子孫后代生活在一個(gè)更健康、更安全、更公平、更和平、更繁榮的世界。這需要學(xué)術(shù)界、醫(yī)療界、工業(yè)界和政府部門(mén)中最杰出的人才匯聚起來(lái)，打破那些過(guò)于局限我們視野、阻礙我們進(jìn)步的樊籬，并將美國(guó)人民的需求、利益、憂慮和渴望放在首位。

羅斯?？偨y(tǒng)曾要求布什博士考慮四個(gè)具體問(wèn)題。今天，我委派給你和你的同事們五個(gè)議題。我希望，你們能夠與美國(guó)社會(huì)多元的科學(xué)領(lǐng)軍機(jī)構(gòu)進(jìn)行廣泛而透明的合作，并吸引更廣泛的美國(guó)公眾參與，就聯(lián)邦政府應(yīng)采取的總體戰(zhàn)略、具體行動(dòng)、體系創(chuàng)新提出建議，讓我們國(guó)家繼續(xù)充分利用科學(xué)技術(shù)的力量，為美國(guó)人民謀取利益。

1. 從這次瘟疫中，我們能學(xué)到哪些是可以做的——或者說(shuō)應(yīng)該做的——以解決公共衛(wèi)生方面最廣泛的需求？

在我們急迫地與這場(chǎng)冠狀病毒大流行斗爭(zhēng)之際，也必須努力應(yīng)對(duì)我們所看到的挑戰(zhàn)、不平等和機(jī)遇，汲取當(dāng)下的教訓(xùn)，以便更好地應(yīng)對(duì)未來(lái)。

病原微生物可能導(dǎo)致新發(fā)流行病，帶來(lái)潛在生物武器，并發(fā)展出抗生素耐藥性，我們?cè)鯓硬拍艽蠓嵘焖賾?yīng)對(duì)此類(lèi)威脅的能力？針對(duì)癌癥等其他類(lèi)型疾病，我們?cè)鯓硬拍芗铀匍_(kāi)發(fā)、開(kāi)展臨床治療？在患者同意的前提下，我們?cè)撛鯓涌焖俟蚕斫】敌畔?，以建立更智能、更有效的醫(yī)療保健系統(tǒng)？我們?cè)撛鯓永眠h(yuǎn)程醫(yī)療來(lái)改善全美人民的健康狀況？

2. 應(yīng)對(duì)氣候變化，該怎樣利用科技的突破來(lái)創(chuàng)造新的、有力的解決方案，推動(dòng)以市場(chǎng)為導(dǎo)向的變革，刺激經(jīng)濟(jì)增長(zhǎng)，提升人民健康水平，增加就業(yè)崗位，特別在那些落后的社區(qū)？

氣候變化是切實(shí)存在的威脅，亟需采取大膽的應(yīng)對(duì)措施。但與此同時(shí)，解除這一威脅的必要性，也代表著一個(gè)非凡的機(jī)遇，可以創(chuàng)造性地投入國(guó)內(nèi)基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施建設(shè)，增強(qiáng)美國(guó)的穩(wěn)定，推動(dòng)環(huán)境正義，創(chuàng)造新的尖端產(chǎn)業(yè)和數(shù)百萬(wàn)個(gè)高薪崗位，提升美國(guó)在未來(lái)的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)地位。

要實(shí)現(xiàn)我們對(duì)2050年凈零碳排放的承諾，需要部署好現(xiàn)有的美國(guó)制造的清潔能源技術(shù)，令其物有所值；需要革新碳捕獲和碳存儲(chǔ)方案；需要激勵(lì)美國(guó)的技術(shù)創(chuàng)新，開(kāi)發(fā)能夠重塑市場(chǎng)的新零碳技術(shù)。這一努力將鞏固我們未來(lái)的經(jīng)濟(jì)，在全國(guó)社區(qū)創(chuàng)造可持續(xù)的、有工會(huì)保障的高薪崗位，并重申美國(guó)在全球氣候變化問(wèn)題上的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)地位。

美國(guó)有著悠久的、成功的、兩黨支持的歷史，去利用聯(lián)邦政府的研究、采購(gòu)和政策助推關(guān)鍵產(chǎn)業(yè)的發(fā)展，曾經(jīng)，我們?cè)诎雽?dǎo)體行業(yè)的開(kāi)拓和領(lǐng)先地位就是這樣取得的。在維護(hù)自然環(huán)境的同時(shí)，我們應(yīng)當(dāng)如何重啟這一模式，向我們的后代交付一個(gè)更健康、更安全、更繁榮的且可持續(xù)發(fā)展的未來(lái)？

3. 在關(guān)系到經(jīng)濟(jì)繁榮與國(guó)家安全的關(guān)鍵技術(shù)產(chǎn)業(yè)領(lǐng)域，美國(guó)應(yīng)如何確保在未來(lái)占據(jù)世界領(lǐng)先地位，尤其是與中國(guó)相比？

從人工智能到合成生物學(xué)，新技術(shù)出現(xiàn)得越來(lái)越快，有望改變我們的生活。每一項(xiàng)技術(shù)都帶來(lái)了一系列清晰的機(jī)遇和挑戰(zhàn)，都能夠極大地影響就業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)、社會(huì)公平和國(guó)家安全。

其他國(guó)家——尤其是中國(guó)——正在以前所未有的投入，竭盡所能地促進(jìn)新興產(chǎn)業(yè)的增長(zhǎng)，沖擊著美國(guó)的科技領(lǐng)導(dǎo)地位。在那些定義明日經(jīng)濟(jì)的領(lǐng)域，我們追趕競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手的能力決定著美國(guó)的未來(lái)。

美國(guó)的正確戰(zhàn)略必然迥異于我們的對(duì)手，且極有可能迥異于我們過(guò)去的方針。國(guó)家的投資力度應(yīng)該有多大，快速推動(dòng)關(guān)鍵技術(shù)研發(fā)的國(guó)家戰(zhàn)略支柱是什么？需要什么樣的結(jié)構(gòu)體系、基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施和政策，來(lái)加快實(shí)驗(yàn)室科研、項(xiàng)目開(kāi)發(fā)和市場(chǎng)之間的銜接？我們應(yīng)怎樣加強(qiáng)和擴(kuò)大學(xué)術(shù)界、產(chǎn)業(yè)界和政府之間的聯(lián)系？這一點(diǎn)在歷史上一直是取得技術(shù)進(jìn)步和保護(hù)國(guó)家安全的決定性因素。更重要的是，我們?nèi)绾尾拍艽_保技術(shù)進(jìn)步會(huì)創(chuàng)造，而不是縮減高質(zhì)量的就業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)？

4. 我們?nèi)绾尾拍鼙ＷC整個(gè)國(guó)家和所有美國(guó)人民都能充分共享科學(xué)與技術(shù)的成果？

對(duì)于不同的種族、性別、經(jīng)濟(jì)狀況和地理范圍，科學(xué)技術(shù)帶來(lái)的利益仍然分布不均。我們?cè)鯓硬拍軐⒉煌尘暗拿绹?guó)人都納入科學(xué)技術(shù)創(chuàng)造和回報(bào)之中？怎樣讓科技中心在全國(guó)各地蓬勃發(fā)展，以推動(dòng)每一個(gè)美國(guó)人的家鄉(xiāng)經(jīng)濟(jì)？怎樣確保醫(yī)學(xué)進(jìn)步惠及所有美國(guó)人，并大幅降低不同種族、不同社會(huì)經(jīng)濟(jì)體的健康狀況差距？

5. 我們?nèi)绾尾拍鼙ＷC美國(guó)科學(xué)與技術(shù)的長(zhǎng)期健康發(fā)展？

美國(guó)科學(xué)技術(shù)的繁榮，源于由人力、政策和機(jī)構(gòu)組成的豐富生態(tài)系統(tǒng)。這一生態(tài)系統(tǒng)必須得到滋養(yǎng)和振興，才能在瞬息萬(wàn)變的世界中取得成功。

我們應(yīng)怎樣保護(hù)政府內(nèi)部的科學(xué)誠(chéng)信，使政府成為科學(xué)家和技術(shù)人員的首選工作地？我們應(yīng)怎樣解決學(xué)術(shù)研究結(jié)構(gòu)所面對(duì)的壓力，并扶持聯(lián)邦政府資助的創(chuàng)新模式？我們應(yīng)怎樣重新構(gòu)想和改造STEM教育，強(qiáng)化教師能力，配置新技術(shù)，以優(yōu)化教育體驗(yàn)？我們?cè)鯓硬拍芰蠲绹?guó)繼續(xù)吸引全世界最優(yōu)秀、最聰明的人才？

我相信，這些問(wèn)題的答案將促成未來(lái)幾年內(nèi)我們國(guó)家在新的道路上起航——一條兼顧尊嚴(yán)與被尊重、兼顧繁榮與安全、兼顧發(fā)展與共同目標(biāo)的道路。誠(chéng)然，這些問(wèn)題很大，但美國(guó)解決問(wèn)題的能力更大。我期待收到你的建議，并與你、與你的團(tuán)隊(duì)、與廣大的科學(xué)界共同合作，找出解決方案，減輕美國(guó)人民的日常負(fù)擔(dān)，帶來(lái)新工作、新機(jī)遇，并恢復(fù)美國(guó)在世界舞臺(tái)上的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)地位。

真誠(chéng)的

小約瑟夫·R·拜登

英文原文

January 15, 2021

Eric S. Lander, Ph.D.

President and Founding Director

Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

Dear Dr. Lander:

In 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt authored a letter to his science advisor, Dr. Vannevar Bush, posing the question of how science and technology could best be applied to benefit the nation’s health, economic prosperity, and national security in the decades that would follow the Second World War. Dr. Bush’s response came in the form of a report, titled Science—the Endless Frontier, that would form the basis of the National Science Foundation and set the course of scientific discovery in America for the next 75 years.

Those years have brought about some of the most consequential scientific advancements in human history with America leading the way. But three quarters of a century later, the contours of our lives have changed. Technologies and industries have risen and fallen, and the emergence of the digital arena has redefined the ways we innovate, communicate, and experience the world. And the nature of discovery itself has changed by leaps and bounds—reaching celestial heights, and microscopic complexities, that were unimaginable not so long ago.

For this reason, I believe it is essential that we refresh and reinvigorate our national science and technology strategy to set us on a strong course for the next 75 years, so that our children and grandchildren may inhabit a healthier, safer, more just, peaceful, and prosperous world. This effort will require us to bring together our brightest minds across academia, medicine, industry, and government—breaking down the barriers that too often limit our vision and our progress, and prioritizing the needs, interests, fears, and aspirations of the American people.

President Roosevelt asked Dr. Bush to consider four specific questions. Today, I am tasking you and your colleagues with five. My hope is that you, working broadly and transparently with the diverse scientific leadership of American society and engaging the broader American public, will make recommendations to our administration on the general strategies, specific actions, and new structures that the federal government should adopt to ensure that our nation can continue to harness the full power of science and technology on behalf of the American people.

1. What can we learn from the pandemic about what is possible—or what ought to be possible— to address the widest range of needs related to our public health?

Even as we work urgently to overcome the coronavirus pandemic, we must learn from this moment by grappling with the challenges, inequities, and opportunities we’ve seen in order to better prepare for the future.

How can we dramatically improve our ability to rapidly address threats from pathogens, including emerging pandemics, potential bioweapons, and antibiotic resistance? How can we dramatically speed our ability to develop and conduct clinical trials of therapies for other types of diseases like cancer? How can we enable the rapid sharing, with patient consent, of health information to build a smarter and more effective healthcare system? How can we use telemedicine to improve health for all Americans?

2. How can breakthroughs in science and technology create powerful new solutions to address climate change—propelling market-driven change, jump-starting economic growth, improving health, and growing jobs, especially in communities that have been left behind?

Climate change represents an existential threat that requires bold and urgent action. But at the same time, the necessity of solving it also presents us with an extraordinary opportunity to make groundbreaking investments in our infrastructure, enhance America’s resilience, promote environmental justice, and create new cutting-edge industries and millions of good-paying jobs that will advance American leadership for generations to come.

Achieving our commitment of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 will require deploying existing, cost-effective clean energy technologies manufactured in America; drawing on innovative solutions to capture and store carbon; and spurring American technological ingenuity to develop new zero-carbon technologies that can reshape the marketplace. This effort will fortify our economy for the future, create a durable stream of good-paying union jobs in communities across the country, and reassert American leadership on climate change around the globe.

The United States has a long, successful, and bipartisan history of using federal research, purchasing, and policies to help jumpstart critical industries—including, for example, when we pioneered and led the semiconductor industry. How can we refresh that model to deliver a healthier, safer, more prosperous, and sustainable future for our children, while preserving our natural environment for future generations?

3. How can the United States ensure that it is the world leader in the technologies and industries of the future that will be critical to our economic prosperity and national security, especially in competition with China?

From artificial intelligence to synthetic biology, new technologies are emerging in increasingly rapid cycles that promise to transform our lives. Each arrives with a distinct set of promises and challenges—and each carries the capacity to dramatically impact job creation, equity, and national security.

Other countries—especially China—are making unprecedented investments and doing everything in their power to promote the growth of new industries and eclipse America's scientific and technological leadership. Our future depends on our ability to keep pace with our competitors in the fields that will define the economy of tomorrow.

The right strategy for the United States will necessarily differ from that of our competitors, but it will also likely differ from our own past playbook. What is the right level of national investment, and what are the pillars of a national strategy that will rapidly propel both research and development of critical technologies? What structures, infrastructures, and policies are needed to accelerate the path from research laboratories to development projects to the marketplace? How can we strengthen and expand the connections between academia, industry, and government, which have historically been crucial for advancing technology and protecting national security? And, importantly, how do we ensure that technological advances create rather than diminish high-quality jobs?

4. How can we guarantee that the fruits of science and technology are fully shared across America and among all Americans?

The benefits of science and technology remain unevenly distributed across racial, gender, economic, and geographic lines. How can we ensure that Americans of all backgrounds are drawn into both the creation and the rewards of science and technology? How can we ensure that science and technology hubs flourish in every part of the country, driving economic development in every American hometown? How can we ensure that advances in medical science benefit the health of all Americans, including substantially reducing racial and socioeconomic health disparities?

5. How can we ensure the long-term health of science and technology in our nation?

Science and technology have flourished in the United States because of a rich ecosystem of people, policies, and institutions. This ecosystem must be nurtured and refreshed to succeed in a rapidly changing world.

How can we protect scientific integrity within government—and make government a premier destination for scientists and technologists to work? How can we address stresses on academic research labs and promote creative models for federal research support? How can we reimagine and transform STEM education, empowering teachers and deploying technology to enhance the educational experience? How can we ensure the United States will remain a magnet for the best and brightest minds throughout the world?

I believe that the answers to these questions will be instrumental in helping our nation embark on a new path in the years ahead—a path of dignity and respect, of prosperity and security, of progress and common purpose. They are big questions, to be sure, but not as big as America’s capacity to address them. I look forward to receiving your recommendations—and to working with you, your team, and the broader scientific community to turn them into solutions that ease everyday burdens for the American people, spark new jobs and opportunities, and restore American leadership on the world stage.