Salk president calls for more research spending

William R. Brody intends to use his new post as president of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies to call for more federal support for research work. Brody, who spent the past 12 years as president of Johns Hopkins, told the Salk staff that "if we don't innovate, we won't grow our economy."   

In an earlier interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune, Brody said that as federal spending on science flat-lined, researchers have been forced to turn from long-term planning to engage in a year-to-year struggle for money. And the country is losing out on the millions of dollars it spends to educate new scientists by failing to support their research work after they graduate.

"We are in troubled economic times in part because the country failed to remember that basic innovation made our country great and has driven our economic growth," said Brody. "Instead, we have relied on innovation from Wall Street, which is an oxymoron right up there with jumbo shrimp."

- read the article from the San Diego Union-Tribune