New tack on STEM education - and in tech policy?

According to a story in this morning's Washington Post, President Obama will announce today new funding for a public-private partnership on STEM education. The initiative "Educate to Innovate" was launched last November. Today's announcement will double the funding to over $500 million.

That level of funding is important, in line with other federal programs on STEM education. But what is especially interesting on this is the emphasis on the private sector contribution. As the story notes:

"There is a recognition we can't do everything," said John P. Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. "We really need all hands on deck from the private sector and the philanthropic sector because the government can't foot the whole bill for this."

The concept of public-private partnership is not new. It can be said that the rise of such collaboration is one of the major shifts in science and technology policy in the last few decades (really starting in the 1980s). However, the emphasis in the past has been on private sector effectiveness in program operations. The thinking is that private sector involvement in the operation of the programs is necessary to ensure an outcome that is economically relevant -- especially in technology development and commercialization activities. The idea that private sector money is also necessary (for more than simply ensuring that they have some skin in the game) is new. Given the budget deficit, however, don't be surprised if we see similar pushes for public-private partnerships in other areas of technology policy.


Update: President Obama's remarks and the Press Release are now available.