Employees 45 | Agency executive TBD, Director | |
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Formed May 11, 1976; 40 years ago (1976-05-11) Preceding agency Office of Science and Technology Headquarters Eisenhower Executive Office Building725 17th Street, Washington, D.C., U.S. Parent agency Executive Office of the President | ||
The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is a department of the United States government, part of the Executive Office of the President (EOP), established by United States 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.
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The director of this office is colloquially known as the President's Science Advisor. As of February 15, 2017, President Donald Trump is considering William Happer or David Gelernter to fill the position. Dr. John Holdren, Director, nominated in December 2008, served as Science Advisor to President Barack Obama. Holdren also co-chaired the President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) and supported the President's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC).
History
President Richard M. Nixon eliminated the President's Science Advisory Committee after his second Science Advisor, Edward E. David Jr., resigned in 1973, rather than appointing a replacement. The United States Congress then established the OSTP in 1976 with a broad mandate to advise the President and others within the Executive Office of the President on the effects of science and technology on domestic and international affairs. The 1976 Act also authorizes OSTP to lead inter-agency efforts 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.
Mission
The OSTP's mission is set out in the National Science and Technology Policy, Organization, and Priorities Act of 1976 (Pub. L. 94-282). The act calls for the 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.
It further authorizes the OSTP to:
The 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. The OSTP has approximately 45 staff members, most of whom are experienced scientists functioning as assistant directors or policy analysts.