Development of a National Science Foundation Innovation Inducement Prize

应国会要求，美国国家科学院科学、技术和经济政策委员会（STEP）将协助美国国家科学基金会设计一项激励奖，以支持科学和工程研究的进步。该奖项将强调创新，关注具有高风险和回报潜力的研究活动，促进传统支持机制之外的科学和工程目标。STEP董事会将召集一个由专家志愿者组成的高度跨学科的委员会，以制定一般奖项设计标准的建议和基本原理。设立一个有声望的奖项，以补充国家科学基金会的研究投资，有可能满足尚未满足的社会需求，并在科学研究的转型领域建立新的伙伴关系和合作关系。该奖项应该让公众了解对美国国家科学基金会和联邦政府重要的科学和工程研究。

The National Academies' Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy (STEP), at the request of Congress, will assist the National Science Foundation in the design of an inducement prize to support the advancement of scientific and engineering research. The prize will emphasis innovation, focus on research activities with high risk and reward potential, and promote science and engineering objectives outside of traditional support mechanisms. The STEP Board will convene a highly interdisciplinary committee of expert volunteers to develop recommendations and rationale for general prize design criteria. Crafting a prestigious prize, to complement NSF research investments, has the potential to fulfill unmet societal needs, and create new partnerships and collaborations in a transformational area of scientific research. The prize should engage and inform the public about science and engineering research important to the NSF and the Federal government.