Office of Science and Technology Policy

Office of Science and Technology Policy

Agency overview
Formed	May 11, 1976 (1976-05-11)
Preceding agency	Office of Science and Technology
Headquarters	Eisenhower Executive Office Building 725 17th Street, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Employees	45
Agency executive	TBD, Director
Parent agency	Executive Office of the President
Website	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 (EOP), established by United States Congress on May 11, 1976, with a broad mandate to advise the President on the effects of science and technology on domestic and international affairs.

The director of this office is colloquially known as the President's Science Advisor. As of February 15, 2017, President Donald Trump is considering William Happer or David Gelernter to fill the position.^[1] Dr. John Holdren, Director, nominated in December 2008, served as Science Advisor to President Barack Obama.^[2] Holdren also co-chaired the President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) and supported the President's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC).^[3][4]

History

President Richard M. Nixon eliminated the President's Science Advisory Committee after his second Science Advisor, Edward E. David Jr., resigned in 1973, rather than appointing a replacement. The United States Congress then established the OSTP in 1976 with a broad mandate to advise the President and others within the Executive Office of the President on the effects of science and technology on domestic and international affairs. The 1976 Act also authorizes OSTP to lead inter-agency efforts to develop and to implement sound science and technology policies and budgets and to work with the private sector, state and local governments, the science and higher education communities, and other nations toward this end.

Mission

The OSTP's mission is set out in the National Science and Technology Policy, Organization, and Priorities Act of 1976 (Pub. L. 94-282). The act calls for the OSTP to serve as a source of scientific and technological analysis and judgment for the President with respect to major policies, plans, and programs of the federal government.

It further authorizes the OSTP to:

• Advise the President and others within the Executive Office of the President on the impacts of science and technology on domestic and international affairs;
• Lead an inter-agency effort to develop and implement sound science and technology policies and budgets;
• Work with the private sector to ensure Federal investments in science and technology contribute to economic prosperity, environmental quality, and national security;
• Build strong partnerships among Federal, State, and local governments, other countries, and the scientific community;
• Evaluate the scale, quality, and effectiveness of the Federal effort in science and technology.^[5]

The OSTP handles a broad range of scientific and technological issues within the Executive Office of the President. It participates in a multitude of White House Policy Coordinating Committees (PCC) that are tasked with developing policies for the federal government and are populated by senior officials from cabinet and independent agencies. The OSTP has approximately 45 staff members, most of whom are experienced scientists functioning as assistant directors or policy analysts.

Key staff

• Director for the Office of Science and Technology Policy: Was John Holdren until January 2017, now vacant
  • Deputy Director for the Office of Science and Technology Policy, Vacant
  • Associate Director for Technology, Vacant
  • Principal Assistant Director for Science, Vacant
    • Assistant Director for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences: Vacant
    • Associate Director for Science: Vacant
• Chief Technology Officer of the United States: Megan Smith, until January 2017, now vacant
  • Associate Director for National Security & International Affairs: Vacant
  • Associate Director for Energy & Environment: Vacant

Chairs

Name		President	Term
	H. Guyford Stever	Gerald Ford	1976–1977
	Frank Press	Jimmy Carter	1977–1981
	Benjamin Huberman (acting)	Ronald Reagan	1981
	George A. Keyworth, II		1981–1985
	John P. McTague (acting)		1986
	Richard G. Johnson (acting)		1986
	William Robert Graham		1986–1989
	Thomas P. Rona (acting)		1989
	William G. Wells (acting)	George H. W. Bush	1989
	D. Allan Bromley		1989–1993
	John H. Gibbons	Bill Clinton	1993–1998
	Kerri-Ann Jones (acting)		1998
	Neal F. Lane		1998–2001
	Rosina Bierbaum (acting)	George W. Bush	2001
	Clifford Gabriel (acting)		2001
	John H. Marburger III		2001–2009
	John Holdren	Barack Obama	2009–2017
TBD	TBD	Donald Trump	2017–present

See also

• Title 32 of the Code of Federal Regulations

References

External links

• About OSTP, official website
• Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Federal Register
• The President's Office of Science and Technology Policy: Issues for Congress Congressional Research Service

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