Why the Feds Fund Research

Microsoft’s Elizabeth L. Grossman reflects on passage of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act by the U.S. Congress:

One area highlighted in the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act for additional research is cloud computing. The broad potential of this field is demonstrated by the current partnership between Microsoft and the National Science Foundation, through which Microsoft will provide free access to advanced cloud computing resources for select NSF-funded researchers for the next three years.

The message here is all about job creation. The enabling technologies may lie in the Cloud, but the rain dance starts in Washington, D.C..