Policy levers

Federal R&D funding—public dollars allocated by the US government to support scientific and technological progress—is among the strongest policy tools for shaping national innovation. Spawned out of Cold War ambitions to demonstrate and advance US technological superiority, today’s federal R&D enterprise spends $200 billion annually to initiate, accelerate, and guide progress at the frontiers of discovery.

This guide covers the fundamentals of US regulatory policy at the federal level and its role in shaping emerging technologies. It walks through the regulatory process and key players, and discusses career opportunities in regulatory policy.

This guide explains how the US government develops and uses technical standards and evaluations and how they intersect with emerging technology policy. It outlines key institutions and processes and discusses considerations and opportunities for working in this space.

Export controls are regulations that restrict which goods, technologies, and services can be sold or transferred to foreign countries, entities, or individuals. The US government primarily uses export controls to protect national security by limiting access to the most sensitive US technologies and weapons.