January 5, 2007

The Honorable [My Representative/Senator]
[Office Address]
Washington, DC [20515/20510]

Dear Representative XXX,

["As Chairman of the Computer Science Department at [your university]," or other language as appropriate], I am very concerned to learn that difficulties in the appropriations process might endanger proposed increases to three key federal science agencies in FY 2007. I urge you to ask your leaders in Congress to protect the increases for FY 2007 already approved by the full House and Senate Appropriations Committee for the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), and Department of Energy Office of Science in the FY 2007 appropriations Continuing Resolution or final appropriations. 

As you know, NSF, NIST and DOE Office of Science are key participants in the federal Networking and Information Technology R&D initiative, the multi-agency effort that comprises the federal role in supporting long-term, fundamental IT research. The importance of this research in enabling the new economy is well documented. Nearly every aspect of information technology research upon which we rely today traces its roots to federally sponsored university-based research. The resulting advances in information technology have led to significant improvements in product design, development and distribution for American industry, provided improved quality of life for people worldwide, and enabled new scientific disciplines such as bioinformatics and nanotechnology that show great promise in improving a whole range of health, security, and communications technologies. Leaving basic federal science funding at FY 2006 (or lower) levels threatens to disrupt that chain of innovation, placing our nation at risk of not having the necessary resources – the people, the ideas and the infrastructure – we need to maintain our global economic leadership and ensure our continued security.

These investments in basic research enjoy strong bipartisan support.  Our community has offered high praise to you and your colleagues in Congress for recognizing the need to increase support for fundamental research in the physical sciences, mathematics, computing and engineering in order to ensure the Nation’s continued leadership in an increasingly competitive world. The President’s American Competitiveness Initiative and the Democratic Innovation Agenda both shared that commitment, and the full House and members of the Senate Appropriations Committee endorsed the need for those increases on a bipartisan basis in the appropriations bills they approved. 

Now more than ever it is crucial that the U.S. continue to have the resources it needs to remain innovative and competitive, especially in information technology. Preserving the proposed increases for NSF, NIST, and DOE Office of Science in a limited adjustment to the FY 2007 Continuing Resolution would be a simple and necessary step to ensure U.S. competitiveness. While the payoffs of past research have been dramatic, the field of information technology remains in relative infancy. Tremendous opportunities remain – far more can happen in the next ten years than has happened in the last thirty, and it is crucial that America lead the way. 

Sincerely,