Back in September, when the presidential election seemed up for grabs, a group of more than 60 Nobel Prize-winhing scientists endorsed Barack Obama. One important reason: his plan to increase federal funding for research, which they argued would result in "new ways to provide energy... and improve our economy." Fund science, goes the logic, because basic research always yields economic benefits. Now, with the economy in tumult and a deficit that could reach $1 trillion this year, the question is not whether research and development should be a priority but whether Obama will be able to deliver. And even if he can still manage to increase funding, simply putting more cash into the same old research priorities won't help invent the future. Obama will surely aim to spend more than George W. Bush (but not enough to make everyone happy). More important, he'll have to create policies that ensure good ideas make it out of the lab.
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机译：早在9月份，当总统大选似乎要争夺时，由60多位诺贝尔奖获得者组成的科学家小组就批准了巴拉克·奥巴马（Barack Obama）。一个重要原因是：他增加联邦研究经费的计划，他们认为这将导致“提供能源...并改善经济的新途径”。遵循逻辑是基金科学，因为基础研究总是会产生经济利益。现在，随着经济的动荡和今年的赤字可能达到1万亿美元，问题不在于研究和开发是否应该成为优先事项，而是奥巴马是否能够兑现。即使他仍能设法增加资金，仅仅将更多的现金投入相同的旧研究重点也不会帮助发明未来。奥巴马肯定会比乔治·布什（George W. Bush）花费更多（但不足以使每个人都高兴）。更重要的是，他将必须制定政策以确保好主意能够在实验室中实现。
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