Reports

Reflecting the Nation’s determination to end the scourge of Alzheimer’s, NIH for the first time has prepared this professional judgment budget proposal for FY 2017. This budget proposal estimates the additional funding needed to reach the ultimate research goal of the National Plan—to effectively treat and prevent Alzheimer’s and related dementias by 2025—and will be updated annually. It focuses on funding for investigator-initiated research grants and NIH initiatives that would spur research beyond NIH’s base budget allocated in the previous year.

This report presents findings from the fourth annual survey of online college students, conducted jointly by The Learning House, Inc. and Aslanian Market Research. Every year, these organizations conduct a survey of students who are considering a fully online program, those who are currently enrolled in a fully online college program, and those who have graduated within the past year. It is our goal to profile who is studying online, and why, as well as provide institutions with key takeaways to help them better serve this unique population.

A year from now, the 2016 presidential primaries will be over, and the nominees of both parties will need to focus in earnest on the broad interests of the American people, not just the parochial concerns of their respective bases. When that time comes, this memo provides the draft of a speech that we believe is critically important for the country to hear on technology and the economy. It is about how America can flourish again, and we invite anyone to borrow from it freely.

Innovation activity is at an all-time high. Using patents as a proxy for innovation, there were more unique inventions that were published applications or granted patents over the last year than ever before in the history of humankind. Another finding this year is that while patent activity has been on an upward climb, its ascent over the past year was the slowest since the global economic recession in 2009. This could be the result of myriad factors, from changes in legislation to economic, political, social or industry stresses.