Research and IT could win... if Obama wins

Across the US, all eyes and ears are focused on two people: Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain. With the completion of the Democratic and Republic Conventions, the US presidential election is now officially in fully swing. Topping the list of issues concerning Americans are the economy, healthcare, the war in Iraq, taxes, and energy, but some citizens have also insisted that science and innovation be brought to the forefront of America's political dialogue. Science Debate 2008, a group which began in November 2007 with six concerned citizens and now has nearly 40,000 members, has proposed over 3,400 questions on the current and future state of America's science programs, which it would like the candidates to answer. Narrowed down to fourteen broad, yet specific questions, both candidates have participated in this survey.

Discussed here are Obama's views on how best to enhance STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programs in the US. A follow-up article will be dedicated to McCain's policies. Independent market analyst firm Datamonitor believes that Obama's pledge to increase investment in life science research will not only be a big win for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors—both public and private—but will also have a positive impact on the development of the IT industry that caters to the life sciences.

Lost focus

Once upon a time, the US was a leader in the realm of innovation, but in recent times, it has been slowly slipping down the rankings. Thirty years ago, the US was in third place among developed nations in the ratio of college students graduating from science and engineering programs; now it's in 17th place. A decline in government funding for basic research in the physical and life sciences is thought to have discouraged America's youth from entering such fields. Furthermore, many that pursue higher education do not have a strong background in the sciences as the focus has shifted away from this area.

Obama is adamant about bringing change to these trends as he believes that a vigorous research and development program is dependant on encouraging capable people to enter the science fields and provide them with the support needed to be successful in their goals. To this extent, Obama vows to guarantee students across the country access to a strong science curriculum at every grade level, supplemented by hands-on, IT-enhanced experiments. In addition, Obama will increase the funding for basic research in the sciences, provide a greater number of grants for early-career scientists, and raise support for high-risk, high-payoff research portfolios at the national science agencies. While Obama's promise to increase budgets for IT-enabled science education and basic research will greatly impact the research communities, it will also fast-track innovation and growth in the US IT sector since Obama recognises that information technology will be a key asset in furthering creativity and discovery in science education and basic research.

An advocate of IT

As many have already seen, Obama is a strong supporter of technology and has used it as a means to communicate his message to the public. It is no surprise then that Obama fully understands the impact that science and innovation can have on advances in IT and vice versa. He therefore advocates the use of IT tools to enhance existing policies of government agencies, such as those of the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Obama also encourages investment in healthcare research by the private sector, an area of funding which has declined as drug companies face increasing operational costs. With margins being squeezed, the pharmaceutical industry has become less inclined to fund research efforts which are not supported by the government.

This lack of investment has led to downsizing and layoffs, and a decrease in new drug products and therapies. However, several life science companies that share a similar mindset with Obama, have already begun to invest in IT solutions in the hope that they will aid in new research discoveries and developments, which in turn will help IT vendors improve their products to cater to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries better.

Research is key

The last decade has seen an increase in biological research, of which many sub-segments have had their share of controversy. While recognising the ethical and legal issues surrounding these areas, Obama is a firm believer that biological knowledge, especially that derived from genetic and stem cell research, has the potential to transform medicines and improve human health. Obama therefore pledges to lift the ban on funding for embryonic stem cell research while also offering continued support to the controversial sub-segments provided the parties involved adhere to government regulations concerning safety and ethical issues.

An expanded, federally-supported stem cell research program with a strict code of conduct will encourage greater engagement of US scientists in this new field, signalling to other countries a US commitment to compete in advanced medical research. With Obama's support for biological research, life science companies can once again focus their attention on innovative research areas. These areas are highly dependent on IT tools, and as they develop, so will the IT solutions that enable the research. Therefore, Obama's stance on biological and biomedical research is a win-win for both the life science research community as well as the IT sector that caters to the life sciences.

Obama's STEM agenda shows his commitment to investing in the physical and life sciences. With the government's support for innovation, organisations are more likely to invest in technology solutions that will advance the healthcare research fields. Meanwhile, IT vendors catering to the life science industry will also have government backing since Obama sees the collaboration between research and IT as a cyclical event. The advancement of one sector will only lead to enhancements in the other, and progression in both will put the US at the forefront of science, innovation and technology once again.

Datamonitor's most recently published Pharmaceutical Technology reports include:
• In Pursuit of the Paperless Clinical Trial: A Look at EDC and CTMS
• Clinical Decision Support in Healthcare: One Step Closer to the Omniscient Clinician
• Creating a Success of ePedigree and RFID in Pharma
• Addressing Key Challenges in Drug Safety
• 2008 Trends to Watch: Pharmaceutical Technology