US Needs Biotechnology Investment to Avoid Playing Catch-Up in Future, Admin Official Says

Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Arati Prabhakar speaks during a press conference on December 13, 2022. Prabhakar said during a May 1, 2023 event that biotechnology represents an area for the country to maintain its technological leadership.

Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Arati Prabhakar speaks during a press conference on December 13, 2022. Prabhakar said during a May 1, 2023 event that biotechnology represents an area for the country to maintain its technological leadership. OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images

OSTP Director Arati Prabhakar discussed the Biden administration’s ongoing tech priorities following a record-breaking fiscal year 2024 budget request for research and development.

Innovation in emerging technologies—from semiconductor manufacturing to biotechnologies—continues to be a priority within the Biden administration, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Arati Prabhakar said at a talk with the Milken Institute in California on Monday.

During the first part of a two-day event, Prabhakar discussed the administration’s ongoing efforts to spur development in critical sciences and technologies. While she briefly endorsed the role the CHIPS Act will play in cultivating a strong domestic manufacturing and supply chain for semiconductor technologies, Prabhakar noted that the biotechnology market is less developed.

“CHIPS is about the fact that, if [there are] no semiconductors, no information revolution, right? And that's the story we already know, and it's the place where we're playing catch-up,” she said. “But a very different example is biomanufacturing and this is something that's nascent, but it's an opportunity for America to maintain its leadership and not have to play catch-up again.”

She referenced the executive order President Joe Biden signed last fall, which formed a new national program to incentivize domestic biomanufacturing, specifically to create chemical compounds. 

With this directive, Prabhakar said that the administration is looking for the U.S. to pivot from traditional biological engineering to create new chemistries and materials, which could lead to innovation that has big implications for sustainable infrastructure. 

“Our ability to design biology to create new chemistry and materials and structures has just advanced so dramatically, that now we can actually imagine changing the physical environment around us and moving away from our reliance on petroleum products,” she said. 

Prabhakar also addressed the rise of artificial intelligence amid a lack of federal regulations. 

“All the work that we're doing across the government, dealing with this amazing new technology, is to understand that to seize its benefits, we have to start by managing its risks,” she said. 

She explained that several enforcement agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, are working to prevent bias within AI systems used in critical infrastructure. 

“We're going to continue to hold corporations accountable when they use AI and make sure that it's not violating civil rights,” Prabhakar said. She further said that in her role as director at OSTP, she is working closely with senior colleagues, and more guidance, ethical values, and information from the Executive Branch will be unveiled.

These comments come less than two months after Biden submitted his FY2024 budget request, which Prabhakar said calls for over $200 billion in federal research and development investment, the largest ever.

“I think it's emblematic of where the whole system is,” she said.

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.