Office of Science and Technology Policy

Office of Science and Technology Policy
Agency overview
Formed	May 11, 1976
Preceding agency	Office of Science and Technology
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Agency executive	Dr. John Holdren, Director
Parent agency	Executive Office of the President
Website
Office of Science and Technology

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is an office in the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP), established by 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.

It grew out of the Office of Science and Technology, which was formed in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy. The 1976 act also authorizes OSTP to lead an interagency effort 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.

The director of this office is colloquially known as the President's Science Advisor. Dr. John Holdren, Director, nominated in December 2008, serves as Science Advisor to President Barack Obama. Dr. John Holdren also co-chairs the President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) and supports the President's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC).^[1][2]

Mission

OSTP's continuing mission is set out in the National Science and Technology Policy, Organization, and Priorities Act of 1976 (Pub. L. 94-282). It calls for 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. The Act authorizes 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 interagency 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.^[3]

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, often at the under or assistant secretary level.^{[citation needed]} Within OSTP, a Homeland and National Security Division advises White House officials on a range of topics such as avian influenza, critical infrastructure protection, and first responder communications interoperability.^{[citation needed]} Because of its location within the EOP, advice coming from OSTP is often given greater weight than advice given by other agencies when White House policy-making is underway. This is because OSTP is perceived to garner little budgetary or "turf" gain when rendering these opinions, unlike most other federal agencies.^{[citation needed]} OSTP has approximately 45 staff members, most of whom are experienced scientists functioning as assistant directors or policy analysts.

Trivia

Perhaps OSTP's greatest exposure in pop culture, albeit in fiction, was in the movie Contact (based on the Carl Sagan novel of the same name) in which Tom Skerritt plays a prominent role as the President's Science Advisor.

Past and current Science Advisors

References

External links

• "Office of Science and Technology Policy". Official website. http://www.ostp.gov/. Retrieved on June 21 2008. 

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References