National Science and Technology Council

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National Science and Technology Council

Agency overview
Formed	November 23, 1993
Headquarters	725 17th Street, Washington, D.C.
Agency executive	Donald Trump, Co-Chair
Parent agency	Executive Office of the President
Website	https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/nstc/

The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) is a cabinet-level council in the Executive Branch of the United States. It is designed to coordinate science and technology policy across the branches of federal government.

The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) was established by President Bill Clinton through Executive Order 12881 on November 23, 1993.^[1] Because its mission is to coordinate scientific research and policies, and further the president's policy agenda, its membership includes the heads of many scientific agencies and departments. During the Clinton administration, the NSTC wrote 6 Presidential Review Directives, used for President Clinton's own future directives, but the council has not issued any of these since.^[2] Instead, the council's recommendations often serve as advice for other committees as policy is drafted, and members of the science and technology community have debated whether the NSTC should play a more direct role in policymaking.

The structure of the NSTC has changed multiple times in the last few decades. Under the Obama Administration, the Council's subcommittees were restructured and a new committee for directing STEM education was added. Then the NSTC gained another subcommittee under the Trump Administration, as well as special committees on artificial intelligence and research environments.

The primary functions of the NSTC are:

1. to coordinate the science and technology policy-making process;
2. to ensure science and technology policy decisions and programs are consistent with the President's stated goals;
3. to help integrate the President's science and technology policy agenda across the Federal Government;
4. to ensure science and technology are considered in development and implementation of Federal policies and programs; and
5. to further international cooperation in science and technology.^[3]

Another objective of the NSTC is the establishment of clear national goals for federal science and technology investments in virtually all the mission areas of the executive branch. The Council prepares research and development strategies that are coordinated across federal agencies to form investment packages aimed at accomplishing multiple national goals.^[4] While a fundamental mission of the NSTC is to further the President's scientific policies, it also has been charged by Congress to coordinate activities in a number of federal projects. These include combating ocean acidification, overseeing the National Nanotechnology Program, and supporting STEM education. However, the six committees and two special committees of the NSTC direct the present efforts of the agency on the topics they cover.

At present, the work of the NSTC is organized under six primary committees and two special committees. Each committee oversees theme-specific subcommittees and working groups.

Primary Committees:

Special Committees:

The NSTC is chaired by the President. In his absence, the NSTC is chaired either by the Vice President or the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology (APST). Although Executive Order 12881 does not include the the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) in the NSTC, OSTP Director Kelvin Droegemeier manages the NSTC under the Trump administration. The rest of the NSTC membership is made up of Cabinet Secretaries and Agency Heads with significant science and technology responsibilities, and other White House officials and advisors where necessary. In the past, NSTC staff have ranged from 5 to 21 members.

Agencies represented in the NSTC include:

Member agencies contribute funding to the projects that the NSTC oversees, and from 2010 to 2018 their contributions ranged from $12 million to $18 million per year^{[citation needed]}. These funds go towards multi-agency projects, and the rest of the funding comes from agency contributions to their own projects or the OSTP.

• Co-Chair: President Donald Trump
• Co-Chair: Vacant
  • Executive Director: Vacant

Committee on the Science & Technology Enterprise

• Co-Chair: France A. Córdova, National Science Foundation
• Co-Chair: Walter Copan, National Institute of Standards and Technology
• Co-Chair: Paul Dabbar, Under Secretary of Energy for Science

Committee on Environment and Natural Resources (CENR)

• Co-Chair: Vacant, Office of Science and Technology Policy
• Co-Chair: Vacant, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• Co-Chair: Andrew R. Wheeler, Environmental Protection Agency

Committee on Homeland and National Security (CHNS)

• Co-Chair: Vacant, Office of Science and Technology Policy
• Co-Chair: Department of Homeland Security
• Co-Chair: Department of Defense

Committee on Science (CoS)

• Co-Chair: Vacant, Office of Science and Technology Policy
• Co-Chair: France A. Córdova, National Science Foundation
• Co-Chair: Francis Collins, National Institute of Health

Committee on STEM Education (CoSTEM)

Committee on Technology (CoT)

• Chair: Vacant, Office of Science and Technology Policy

• National Science and Technology Council