Gates penned a guest editorial in Science suggesting that the U.S. should more than triple its R&D investment to US$16 billion. The federal government currently spends roughly $5 billion annually. Inadequate funding has led to a 75 percent reduction in federal research over the past three decades, he wrote.
He asked that Congress muster political courage and be willing to spend more money even if doing do is unpopular right now. Failure to invest would jeopardize America’s national interest and risk its position in the global clean energy industry, Gates argued.
Bill Gates has invested into nuclear power company TerraPower, Liquid Metal Battery, and is a member of the American Energy Innovation Council, which advocates greater government involvement in energy development to spur technology innovation.