Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
Obama launches technology partnership to spur jobs
|
Edition:
U.S.
Article
Comments (3)
Editor's Choice
Asia moves to tap oil reserves
Exclusive: Citi skimps on "standard" customer monitoring
Stocks to post 11 percent gain in 2011: Reuters poll
Analysis: Do "leaderless" revolts contain seeds of own failure?
EU appoints Draghi to ECB
Exclusive: Deutsche's firing of top trader sparks probe
China accounting scandals put Big Four auditors on red
MuniLand: The infrastructure bank as political cover
Video: Greek deal eases risk aversion
Slideshow: The cost of war
Follow Reuters
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
YouTube
Read
Casey Anthony's brother says family mum on her pregnancy
2:41pm EDT
Data points to underlying factory strength
|
3:13pm EDT
Loss of Libya oil bigger disruption than Katrina: IEA
9:28am EDT
Sarkozy says Europeans "doing the work" in Libya
|
9:55am EDT
Oil dives to 4-month low as emergency stocks unleashed
|
23 Jun 2011
Discussed
206
Biden deficit-cut talks hit impasse: Rep. Cantor
136
CBO sees government benefits swamping U.S. economy
67
Fragile economy pushed Obama to tap oil reserves
Watched
Hefner's revenge; Ryan Reynolds stops traffic
Fri, Jun 17 2011
Airbus A380 damaged at Paris Air Show
Mon, Jun 20 2011
Airbus' view of flying in the future
Mon, Jun 13 2011
Obama launches technology partnership to spur jobs
Tweet
Share this
Email
Print
Related News
Higher jobless claims indicate weak labor market
Thu, Jun 23 2011
Obama moves toward exit from Afghanistan
Wed, Jun 22 2011
Democrats push for jobs package in debt deal
Wed, Jun 22 2011
EnCana, PetroChina end C$5.4 billion Canada shale deal
Tue, Jun 21 2011
Special report: Government in cyber fight but can't keep up
Thu, Jun 16 2011
Analysis & Opinion
Can employment ever catch up with productivity?
How to prevent misguided privatizations
Related Topics
Politics »
Technology »
Small Business »
Money »
President Barack Obama speaks about the economy to employees after touring a North Carolina energy efficient LED lights manufacturing facility, Cree Inc., in Raleigh-Durham, June 13, 2011.
Credit: Reuters/Larry Downing
By Laura MacInnis
PITTSBURGH |
Fri Jun 24, 2011 3:49pm EDT
PITTSBURGH (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Friday launched an initiative to develop new U.S. manufacturing jobs by teaming up government with companies and universities to invest more than $500 million in advanced technologies.
Obama, who must ease high unemployment to be confident of winning a second White House term next year, visited Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh to launch the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, aimed at fostering a new generation of U.S.-made high-technology products.
"This partnership is about new cutting-edge ideas to create new jobs, spark new breakthroughs, reinvigorate American manufacturing today. Right now," the Democratic president told an audience of around 200 in a robotics laboratory.
The initiative does not involve new government spending and Obama, who is fighting Republicans to raise the borrowing limit, emphasized the need to curb the country's deficit and debt, while investing in its future.
"If we want a robust growing economy we need a robust growing manufacturing sector," he said. "I ran for president to get us back to where we need to be. I have a larger vision for America."
The White House says major new technologies in the past were commercialized into vast industries with the help of government-university-company partnerships, including telephones, jet engines and the Internet.
It hopes for similar achievements by speeding development of new technologies such as next-generation robotics, advanced composite materials and bio-manufacturing.
The program will leverage existing federal funds and future federal departmental budgets to invest with industry some $300 million to jump-start domestic manufacturing capabilities seen as critical to national security. Initial public-private investment areas include batteries, composites, metal fabrication, biotechnology and alternative energy.
STRUGGLING ECONOMY
Obama is rolling out the initiative as the unemployment rate remains at a stubbornly high 9.1 percent and initial claims for state unemployment benefits are ticking higher after months of decline.
The economy is struggling to gain traction against high energy prices, a still-depressed housing market, tight credit conditions and headwinds from Europe's debt crisis.
Until recently, one of the economy's brightest spots had been manufacturing, which powered the recovery from the 2007-2009 recession, the country's longest and deepest since the 1930s. Manufacturers have added about 129,000 jobs so far this year.
But manufacturing no longer has a dominant role in the economy, accounting for about 11.7 percent of gross domestic product and roughly 9 percent of total employment.
"We have not run out of stuff to make. We've just got to reinvigorate our manufacturing sector so it leads the world like it always has," Obama said. "We've launched an all-hands-on-deck effort."
The Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, to be led by Dow Chemical Co Chairman and CEO Andrew Liveris and Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Susan Hockfield, also aims to invest more than $100 million to help enable U.S. companies to discover, develop, manufacture and deploy advanced materials twice as fast as they are capable of today.
Liveris, an Australian native, said U.S. manufacturing policy has long been marked by "benign neglect and atrophy."
"You have to work with government to understand what's really causing us to be noncompetitive in certain sectors," Liveris told Reuters.
The jobs initiative will focus on ways to streamline regulation, tax and energy policy, and foreign trade, Liveris said.
Dow is hiring in Michigan and Indiana to develop solar, battery and agricultural products. The company, the largest U.S.-based chemical maker, is also building new propylene and ethylene plants in Texas.
Still, its Chinese revenue is growing faster than its American revenue. Liveris has long said he will invest in countries with favorable regulations.
"We need policy certainty and we need to understand what the rules are," he said.
Other manufacturers initially involved in the program will be Allegheny Technologies Inc, Caterpillar Inc, Ford Motor Co, Corning Inc, Honeywell, Intel, Johnson and Johnson, Northrop Grumman, Procter and Gamble, and Stryker Corp.
(Additional reporting by Lucia Mutikani and Ernest Scheyder in New York; writing by David Lawder; Editing by Mohammad Zargham and Paul Simao)
Politics
Technology
Small Business
Money
Related Quotes and News
Company
Price
Related News
Tweet this
Link this
Share this
Digg this
Email
Reprints
We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/
Comments (3)
ConradU812 wrote:
Bad idea. The government doesn’t know the first thing about creating jobs in a for-profit market, only at the tax payer’s expense. Tech companies regularly recruit from colleges anyway. I’m not sure how this will do anything but put more tax reveenue in the hands of colleges and tech companies for doing what they already do.
Jun 24, 2011 6:20am EDT -- Report as abuse
CP7 wrote:
If its put in their hands based on some incentive for results shown why wouldn’t it increase their ability to create jobs and get results. Its similar to what some are arguing on the tax breaks for the wealthy issue, only now you can make sure those added funds which some swear will be the difference between millions of jobs right now, based on an unproven trickle down economics theory, are directed towards companies with the incentive that they hire US workers, and with the ability to create the technologies that will be needed to keep us ahead of the curve in the 21st century both in innovation and exports.
Its only a bad idea if its handled completely improperly and those stipulations aren’t present.
Jun 24, 2011 11:02am EDT -- Report as abuse
giveitthought wrote:
GO UP POLL NUMBERS! GO UP GO UP GO UP!!! I’m releasing announcements as fast as I can! Aren’t they watching me? How can I get reelected if the numbers won’t go up?
Why won’t they go up?? I’m doing everything I can to make me look good.
Jun 24, 2011 12:04pm EDT -- Report as abuse
See All Comments »
Add Your Comment
Social Stream (What's this?)
© Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters
Editorial Editions:
Africa
Arabic
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Russia
Spain
United Kingdom
United States
Reuters
Contact Us
Advertise With Us
Help
Journalism Handbook
Archive
Site Index
Video Index
Reader Feedback
Mobile
Newsletters
RSS
Podcasts
Widgets
Your View
Analyst Research
Thomson Reuters
Copyright
Disclaimer
Privacy
Professional Products
Professional Products Support
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Careers
Online Products
Acquisitions Monthly
Buyouts
Venture Capital Journal
International Financing Review
Project Finance International
PEhub.com
PE Week
FindLaw
Super Lawyers Attorney Rating Service
Reuters on Facebook
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.
Other News on Saturday, 25 June 2011 Hezbollah says finds three spies within group
|
Venezuela's Chavez reappears on Twitter from Cuba
|
Pakistan army rejects report on bin Laden's cellphone
|
Argentine heirs hope DNA test ends identity fight
|
Auction to Sell Princess Diana's Dresses
OK-Rod with possible trade: Mets closer also willing to be set-up man
EU leaders give conditional go-ahead to Croatia entry
|
U.S. economy grew at tepid 1.9% during first quarter
Analysis: Mexican ex-presidents lead debate on legalizing drugs
|
EPA criticized for overriding state discretion on water quality
"Columbo" star Peter Falk dies at 83
Analysis: Do leaderless revolts contain seeds of own failure?
|
Jim Renner in front by one stroke at Travelers Championship
Georgia-based group erects controversial anti-abortion billboards in Oakland, California
Curtis Stone, Lindsay Price expecting their first baby
Lakers' Ron Artest files for name change; seeks "Metta World Peace"
White House readies for tough choices on budget talks with lawmakers
Google says probing search companies market practices
|
Hackers attack Electronic Arts website
|
Proxy advisor urges RIM CEO/chairman roles be split
|
Obama launches technology partnership to spur jobs
|
Kleiner Perkins weighing fund targeting the cloud
|
Venezuela's Chavez reappears on Twitter from Cuba
|
Columbo actor Peter Falk dead at 83
|
Hang on Snooki. MTV denies recasting Jersey Shore
|
Cars 2 star Eddie Izzard plans political career
|
Sad songs bring joy to bluegrass star Alison Krauss
|
Syrian forces kill 15 protesters, activists say
|
Released Chinese artist-activist Ai's associates freed
|
Amateur Cantlay seizes lead at Travelers Championship; shoots remarkable 60
Yani Tseng maintains one shot lead at Wegman's LPGA championship
Egyptians injured in clashes over Mubarak's fate
|
Keith Olbermann speaks out on Gay Marriage
Peter Frampton files for divorce
Not ready for return: Yanks, Jeter play it safe with shortstop's calf ailment
Tunisia joins international war crimes court
|
John Huston shares lead at Dick's Sporting Goods Open in senior debut
Vietnam to switch to lethal injection for death penalty
|
Usher wants Pippa Middleton for his Lingerie Line
Phils pitcher Roy Oswalt faces uncertain future due to injury
Royal Wedding Raises Over a Million for Charity
Google investors fear long battle against Feds
|
Heidi Klum Bares It All in Project Runway Ad
Foursquare raises $50 million in new round
|
Has Renren suffered enough from China stocks phobia?
|
Missy Elliott says Graves' disease not so grave
|
Jerry Lewis briefly hospitalized in Sydney
|
Bollywood stars cast spell over Toronto
|
NATO says hit military targets in Libya's Brega
|
At least 20 killed in suicide bombing in east Afghanistan
|
Egypt court sentences ex-trade minister to 5 years in jail
|
Afghan MPs hit back over court ruling
|
Five Pakistani policemen killed in Taliban attack
|
Oilers add playmaker, scorer Ryan Nugent-Hopkins as No. 1 overall draft pick
Russian oligarch elected head of pro-Medvedev party
|
Ryan Couture suffers upset loss at Strikeforce Challangers
Two Puntland soldiers decapitated
Arkansas turkey hunt remains closed; appeal rejected on procedural grounds
Analysis: More history ahead for Patrick Cantlay at Travelers Championship?
Ex-Ukraine PM says court action targets opposition
|
Takuma Sato first Japanese driver on IndyCar pole at Iowa
Joey Logano road-races way to Infineon pole
Dozens march for freedom in Saudi Arabia: YouTube
|
Venus forges rematch vs. Pironkova; Wozniacki advances, Roddick falls
Armenia, Azerbaijan blame each other for Karabakh failure
|
U2 pass festival test, critics say, despite tax row
|
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights