Against the backdrop of a multipolar world political landscape, globalized economic development, and the synchronization of competition and exchange, innovation-driven development must be elevated to a national strategic level. Seizing the initiative in technological competition is essential to enhancing national competitiveness, and the United States serves as an excellent model for sustained innovation. The U.S. possesses the world's most advanced economic strength, and its innovation efforts have consistently remained at the forefront globally. Overseas investors with an international innovative mindset choose to immigrate to the United States, which is closely related to its environment that emphasizes innovation. The U.S. recently released its latest innovation strategy, demonstrating that even while standing at the global forefront of innovation, the U.S. continues to persist in innovating. What revelations can the U.S.'s sustained innovation offer us?
I. Emphasizing Financial Support and Increasing Investment in Basic Research
The U.S. government believes that frontier and public-interest technology research and development possess the characteristics of quasi-public goods, and the government should invest significant R&D funds to support such exploratory research activities that individual enterprises, research institutions, or entire industries cannot undertake alone. This approach by the U.S. ensures that it remains at the forefront of innovation, becoming a leader in many innovative technologies. For example, in 2011, the U.S. proposed a new energy revolution plan, and the U.S. fiscal budget immediately allocated $29.5 billion to support it, thereby promoting breakthroughs in shale gas technology. This not only allowed the U.S. to occupy the commanding heights of shale gas technology and, to a certain extent, changed the global energy landscape, but also accumulated successful experience for driving economic development through technological innovation. Therefore, in the latest innovation strategy released by the U.S., there is massive financial support for innovation in key areas.
II. Highlighting Market Mechanisms and Making Enterprises the Mainstay of Technological Innovation
The U.S. possesses the world's most developed capital market, which can provide financial support for innovation and development. With the help of market mechanisms, new enterprises can quickly obtain venture capital, thereby reducing the market risks for enterprises participating in technological innovation. The U.S. was one of the first countries to provide venture capital to technology companies, with its venture capital amount accounting for more than half of the world's total, and an average of over $10 billion in innovation funds invested in the market annually. Full market competition forces enterprises to pursue development paths that rely on technology and product innovation to gain market share, thus making enterprises the mainstay of U.S. technological innovation. Looking at the major U.S. technology companies we are familiar with, they all rely on innovation to capture the global market without exception. In addition, the U.S.'s sound legal and regulatory guarantee system can protect the rights and interests of innovation entities, mobilizing their confidence in participating in innovation. Therefore, such a scene has formed in the U.S.: enterprises are not only the largest investors in R&D activities but also the most important undertakers of innovation activities and owners of the results. Maintaining the interests of innovation entities is equivalent to maintaining the interests of the United States.
III. Focusing on Cultivating and Attracting Innovative Talent
The U.S. views education as the foundation of national development and the key to talent cultivation, continuously increasing investment to support the development of universities. In addition, it has promulgated the "Adult Education Act" to legally guarantee the development of continuing education and strengthen post-training for talent. On the other hand, the U.S. uses immigration policies, education policies, and talent policies to recruit talent from all over the world, increasing the depth of its technological talent reserves. About one-third of U.S. scientists and engineers come from abroad, and these talents have become an important support for the U.S. to lead the world in innovation. Furthermore, the U.S. also attaches importance to the use of science and technology in the field of education. According to statistics from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), naval students who have undergone digital training perform better than 98% of naval students who have received traditional training. In the new innovation strategy, the U.S. will establish an Advanced Research Projects Agency for Education (ARPA-ED) to achieve technological breakthroughs in the field of education as well.
Even while standing at the global forefront of innovation, the U.S. continues to persist in innovating, which is both a need for its own development and a trend in world development. It can be said that the development of the world is a process of innovation, and countries have begun to chase each other and show their unique skills on the road of innovation. Because everyone knows that in this rapidly changing era, not innovating means falling behind.