An Op-Ed piece in the New York Times (August 29, 2011) by Susan Hockfield, President of MIT, suggests the need for federal investments in advanced manufacturing, similar to past US govt investments to create innovation in electronics, computing, the Internet and aviation.  Given the statistic that the 70 % of private industry research employs 64 % of US scientists and engineers, the article suggests that investments in basic research and development can be an engine for advanced manufacturing sector growth.   Examples from lithium ion battery materials using nanotechnology, high energy butane cartridges for hand held chargers and DNA analysis to detect diseases suggest the potential. Should federal funds be focused on the high risk upstream research to assist in job creation ? Or should the federal govt focus on downstream commercialization of already completed research ?  What can the federal govt do that the private markets do not do ? Should this be considered an ideal outcome or a competitive reaction of other govts and their choices ?