US shifting from basic to applied science

The Obama administration’s push to solve the nation’s energy problems is spurring a once-in-a-generation shift in US science away from pure research and toward applied science reports the Wall Street Journal‘s Gautam Naik .

In fiscal 2009, the Obama administration increased the funding by 18%, to $4.76 billion, to the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, which oversees 10 national labs and funds research at another seven. The office will receive $1.6 billion in government stimulus spending, as well, much of which it will also channel to these laboratories.

The Office of Science estimates its bigger budget allowed it to create nearly 1400 research jobs at the 10 labs it oversees in the fiscal year ending in September.

It estimates it created another 1400 science jobs at universities.

In addition, it says, funds from the Obama administration’s stimulus package created hundreds more government lab jobs.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory plans to increase its staff by 25%, or 800 positions, over the next 18 months—even as its neighbor, the University of Tennessee, has lost state funding and pared back faculty searches.

The question remains of course, is this new funding sustainable? And what happens when it runs out?