Tech
Joe Biden’s record on science and tech: Investments and regulation for vaccines, broadband, microchips and AI
The Biden administration’s focus on science and technology has led to substantial investments in semiconductor manufacturing and clean energy, aiming to enhance U.S. competitiveness and innovation while addressing public health challenges.
Last Updated on January 18, 2025 by Daily News Staff
Mark Zachary Taylor, Georgia Institute of Technology
In evaluating the outgoing Biden administration, much news has focused on inflation, immigration or Hunter’s laptop. But as an expert on national competitiveness in science and technology, I have a somewhat different emphasis. My research shows that U.S. prosperity and security depend heavily on the country’s ability to produce cutting-edge science and tech.
So, how did the Biden administration perform along these lines?
Advancing pandemic science and tech
President Joe Biden’s immediate challenge after inauguration was to end the COVID-19 pandemic and then shift the economy back to normal operations.
First, he threw the weight of his administration behind vaccine production and distribution. Thanks to President Donald Trump’s Operation Warp Speed, inoculations had begun mid-December 2020. But there had been no national rollout, and no plans existed for one. When Biden took office, only about 5% of Americans had been vaccinated.
The Biden administration collaborated with private retail chains to build up cold storage and distribution capacity. To ensure adequate vaccine supply, Biden worked to support the major pharmaceutical manufacturers. And throughout, Biden conducted a public relations campaign to inform, educate and motivate Americans to get vaccinated.
Within the first 10 weeks of Biden’s presidency, one-third of the U.S. population had received at least one dose, half by the end of May, and over 70% by year’s end. And as Americans got vaccinated, travel bans were lifted, schools came back into session, and business gradually returned to normal.
A later study found that Biden’s vaccination program prevented more than 3.2 million American deaths and 18.5 million hospitalizations, and saved US$1.15 trillion in medical costs and lost economic output.
In the wake of the economic distress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Biden signed two bills with direct and widespread impacts on science and technology. Previous administrations had promised infrastructure investments, but Biden delivered. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, passed with bipartisan support during late 2021, provided $1.2 trillion for infrastructure of all types.
Rather than just rebuilding, the act prioritized technological upgrades: clean water, clean energy, rural high-speed internet, modernization of public transit and airports, and electric grid reliability.
In August 2022, Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, totaling $739 billion in tax credits and direct expenditures. This was the largest climate change legislation in U.S. history. It implemented a vast panoply of subsidies and incentives to develop and distribute the science and tech necessary for clean and renewable energy, environmental conservation and to address climate change.
Science and tech marquees and sleepers
Some Biden administration science and technology achievements have been fairly obvious. For example, Biden successfully pushed for increased federal research and development funding. Federal R&D dollars jumped by 25% from 2021 to 2024. Recipients included the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, NASA and the Department of Defense. In addition, Biden oversaw investment in emerging technologies, such as AI, and their responsible governance.
Biden also retained or raised Trump’s tariffs and continued his predecessor’s skepticism of new free-trade agreements, thereby cementing a protectionist turn in American trade policy. Biden’s addition was to add protectionist industrial policy – subsidies for domestic manufacturing and innovation, as well as “buy-American” mandates.
Other accomplishments have been more under the radar. For example, within the National Science Foundation, Biden created a Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships to improve U.S. economic competitiveness. Its tasks are to speed the development of breakthrough technologies, to accelerate their transition into the marketplace, and to reskill and upskill American workers into high-quality jobs with better wages.
Biden implemented policies aimed at strengthening and improving federal scientific integrity to help citizens feel they can trust federally funded science and its use. He also advanced new measures to improve research security, aimed at keeping federally funded research from being improperly obtained by foreign entities.
The CHIPS & Science Act
The jewel in the crown of Biden’s science and tech agenda was the bipartisan Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act, meant to strengthen U.S. manufacturing capabilities in advanced semiconductor chips. It has awarded about $40 billion to American chip producers, prompting an additional $450 billion in private investment in over 90 new manufacturing projects across 28 states.
Directed at everything from advanced packaging to memory chips, the CHIPS Act’s subsidies have reduced the private costs of domestic semiconductor production. CHIPS also pushes for these new manufacturing jobs to go to American workers at good pay. Whereas the U.S. manufactured few of the most advanced chips just two years ago, the industry expects the United States to possess 28% of global capacity by 2032.
Less well known are the “science” parts of the CHIPS Act. For example, it invested half a billion dollars in dozens of regional innovation and technology hubs across the country. These hubs focus on a broad range of strategic sectors, including critical materials, sustainable polymers, precision medicine and medical devices. Over 30 tech hubs have already been designated, such as the Elevate Quantum Tech Hub in Denver and the Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub.
The CHIPS Act also aims to broaden participation in science. It does so by improving the tracking and funding of research and STEM education to hitherto underrepresented Americans – by district, occupation, ethnicity, gender, institution and socioeconomic background. It also attempts to extend the impact of federally funded research to tackle global challenges, such as supply chain disruptions, resource waste and energy security.
Missed opportunities and future possibilities
Despite these achievements, the Biden administration has faced criticism on the science and tech front. Some critics allege that U.S. research security is still not properly defending American science and technology against theft or counterfeit by rivals.
Others insist that federal R&D spending remains too low. In particular, they call for more investment in U.S. research infrastructure – such as up-to-date laboratories and data systems – and emerging technologies.
The administration’s government-centered approach to AI has also drawn criticism as stifling and wrong-headed.
Personally, I am agnostic on these issues, but they are legitimate concerns. In my opinion, science and technology investments take considerable time to pan out, so early judgments of Biden’s success or failure are probably premature.
Nevertheless, the next administration has its work cut out for it. International cooperation will likely be key. The most vexing global problems require science and technology advances that are beyond the ability of any single country. The challenge is for the United States to collaborate in ways that complement American competitiveness.
National priorities will likely include the development of productive and ethical AI that helps the U.S. to be more competitive, as well as a new quantum computing industry. Neuroscience and “healthspan” research also hold considerable promise for improving U.S. competitiveness while transforming Americans’ life satisfaction.
Keeping the whole American science and technology enterprise rigorous will require two elements from the federal government: more resources and a competitive environment. American greatness will depend on President-elect Trump’s ability to deliver them.
Mark Zachary Taylor, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Tech
Professional gaming is brutal on the body – inside the growing field of treating esports injuries
Professional gaming can cause serious physical and mental strain, including wrist injuries, back pain, vision problems and sleep disturbances. As esports grows, specialists are developing new prevention and rehabilitation strategies to protect players.
Erica D. Henn, Temple University
Chinese esports player Jian “Uzi” Zi-hao was more than a star “League of Legends” player: He was so talented that his team structured its entire strategy around his abilities, funneling resources to him and another teammate, Shi “Ming” Sen-Ming, so the duo could lead the team to victory. Over the course of his career, he earned more than US$500,000 in tournament prize money.
And yet in 2020, Jian announced his retirement, his storied career cut short by chronic wrist and arm injuries.
He was 25 years old.
Video games have a reputation for keeping people glued to the couch. But for those who compete against the best players in the world, gaming can be surprisingly physically and mentally taxing.
The strain of ‘climbing the ladder’
The best esports players often have grinding schedules. They’re expected to regularly practice, participate in scrimmages and compete in official matches. Even at the recreational level, esports players cite the mental toll: playing for hours a day, every day, to hone their skills so they can “climb the ladder.”
A 2021 study of Portuguese esports players found that 37% experienced anxiety and depression, and 45% experienced sleep disturbances. The most common physical injuries in esports generally fall under eye problems and musculoskeletal issues.
Prolonged screen time leads to many types of vision problems in gamers, from the more common eye fatigue to a decreased ability to focus. Furthermore, the light emitted from screens appears to contribute to sleep disturbances by disrupting the release of melatonin, the hormone that helps regulate your sleep-wake cycle.
Many esport players – professional or otherwise – also battle hand and wrist pain, with repetitive button-smashing causing injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis and “gamer’s thumb,” which arises from overuse or irritation of the tendons around the thumb and wrist. Many of the overuse injuries seen among video game players are also familiar to assembly-line workers, whose jobs can involve similarly repetitive movements.
Then there are the back injuries. Players can remain seated for three or more hours without a break, and this prolonged sitting can take a toll on the lower back and spine.
The sedentary nature of esports has also led to a lesser-known – sometimes fatal – injury called deep vein thrombosis: a blood clot, often in the leg, that can become life-threatening if it travels to the lungs. In 2011, British gamer Chris Staniforth – who would play for as long as 12 hours at a time – died of the condition.
Preventative measures
As more esports injury research has been published, more treatment and prevention strategies have emerged.
Top esports teams now have physical therapists, performance psychologists, athletic trainers and even massage therapists on staff to optimize the performance and recovery of their players.
Teams often incorporate group exercise activities to both build rapport among players and reduce the risk of injuries. During competition, proper positioning of the spine and limbs has become an essential injury prevention strategy. For example, selecting a chair that encourages an upright posture can reduce pain and injury risk, especially when gamers couple ergonomics with an exercise program that centers on functional strength, mobility and stretching of the upper limbs.
Looking to the stage
When esports began gaining mainstream popularity in the 1990s and early 2000s, its proponents were eager to draw comparisons to traditional sports and athletic competition. The parallels helped establish esports’ legitimacy and gave non-gamers a familiar framework for understanding the competition.
As esports became a big business and a lucrative career path, players and teams hired a web of support staff – trainers, coaches and therapists – that mirrored the structure of professional sports. In this vein, a lot of esports injury research has pulled from the training methods of traditional sports.
However, as a scholar of exercise science, I think injury treatment and prevention strategies could be further improved by seeing esports competitors as more like musicians and dancers than football players and basketball players.
Performance optimization and injury research on professional performing artists has existed for centuries, and I think it represents a valuable, untapped resource. That’s because the physical and mental stresses experienced during musical performance have a lot in common with esports competition: long stretches of sitting; small, dexterous hand movements; and performing without the real-time input of a coach.
For example, biomechanics research has found similar patterns of forearm muscle fatigue among esports players and piano players. However, no studies to date have directly compared the two groups.
And what if the interest in joint hypermobility or hand size among performing artists were translated to esport populations? Could popular piano warm-up exercises be effective for esports athletes who use keyboards?
Even research on sports like car racing might offer valuable insights. As with gamers, many people overlook how physically demanding car racing can be – and yes, that includes sitting for extended periods of time.
Prevention and rehabilitation techniques continue to improve. Even Jian, the player who retired in 2020, returned to play for a few splits, or partial seasons, in 2022 and 2023.
In July 2023, “League of Legends” star Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok was relegated to the bench due to cubital tunnel syndrome, an injury that emerges from arm and hand overuse.
Through a treatment plan that included changing his gaming posture and intensive physical therapy, Lee was able to return to play just a month later. He went on to win three consecutive world championships, with his support team helping prevent recurrence of injury throughout each season.
Thanks to his rehabilitation, Lee’s fans will be able to follow his hunt for his fourth “League of Legends” World Championship, which kicks off in October 2026 in the United States.
Sienna Cinti assisted with the research and writing of this article.
Erica D. Henn, Assistant Professor of Kinesiology and Exercise Science, Temple University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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News
Joby Aviation and Toyota kick off manufacturing alliance to scale electric air taxi production
Joby Aviation and Toyota launch a joint venture to improve productivity, quality, and cost as they prepare to scale electric air taxi production.
Joby Aviation and Toyota Motor Corporation have launched the initial phase of a strategic manufacturing alliance aimed at accelerating commercial production of electric air taxis—an early step the companies say is designed to make “air mobility for all” a practical, everyday reality.
Announced June 30, 2026, the partnership formalizes a new joint venture that will combine Joby’s electric aviation development with Toyota’s production systems and operational expertise. The near-term focus: building the groundwork for commercial production while pushing improvements in productivity, quality, and cost—key factors as the industry moves from prototypes to scaled manufacturing.
What the joint venture is designed to do
According to the companies, the alliance will initially concentrate on:
- Establishing the foundation for commercial production capability
- Advancing manufacturing excellence with an emphasis on productivity, quality, and cost
- Supporting expansion of Joby’s production capacity as it works toward aircraft certification and prepares for anticipated demand
The announcement positions Toyota’s manufacturing playbook—known globally for lean production and continuous improvement—as a lever to help Joby move from development into repeatable, high-quality output at scale.
Why it matters: eVTOLs need scale, not just flight tests
Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft have become one of the most closely watched bets in next-generation transportation, but the path to viable air taxi services depends on more than successful test flights. Certification timelines, supply chain readiness, and the ability to produce aircraft consistently (and affordably) are often what separates promising technology from commercial reality.
By forming a joint venture focused on manufacturing readiness, Joby and Toyota are signaling that the next competitive frontier is industrialization—how quickly and reliably eVTOL aircraft can be built to meet safety standards and market demand.
Related Links for Further reading
- Joby Aviation (official): https://www.jobyaviation.com
- Joby Investor Relations / News (official updates & filings): https://ir.jobyaviation.com
- Toyota Newsroom (official): https://www.toyotanewsroom.com
- Toyota Global (corporate overview): https://global.toyota/en
- FAA Advanced Air Mobility / Air Taxis (context): https://www.faa.gov/air-taxis
What executives are saying
Joby founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt emphasized the long-running relationship between the companies, calling the joint venture a reflection of shared confidence in the opportunity ahead.
“Toyota has been by Joby’s side for nearly a decade, providing invaluable guidance and support as we built the foundation for manufacturing our aircraft,” Bevirt said. “Together, we share a vision of making aerial mobility an everyday reality.”
Toyota Motor Corporation Chairman Akio Toyoda framed air mobility as an extension of the company’s broader mission.
“Since our founding, we’ve been guided by the philosophy of providing mobility for all,” Toyoda said, adding that Toyota views air mobility as “a natural extension of that philosophy—from the ground into the sky.”
About the companies
Joby Aviation (NYSE: JOBY) is a California-based transportation company developing an all-electric eVTOL air taxi. The company intends to operate its own air taxi service in cities worldwide and sell aircraft to other operators and partners.
Toyota (NYSE: TM) has operated in North America for nearly 70 years and says it is focused on sustainable, next-generation mobility through Toyota and Lexus brands. Toyota reports nearly 64,000 employees in North America, 14 manufacturing plants, and more than 1,800 dealerships. The company also noted that its North Carolina plant began assembling automotive batteries for electrified vehicles in 2025.
What to watch for next
For readers tracking the air taxi sector, the next milestones will likely center on:
- Details on how the joint venture will be structured operationally
- Updates on Joby’s certification progress and production ramp timelines
- Signs of how manufacturing improvements translate into cost reductions and throughput
- Additional agreements or expanded collaboration as the alliance progresses
While the companies highlighted expected benefits, they also noted the usual forward-looking risks—such as regulatory certification timelines, market conditions, and the ability to finalize additional agreements.
Source: Toyota Motor North America / PRNewswire (June 30, 2026)
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Consumer Corner
The Evolution of Retail Technology: Connecting Consumers to Valuable Product Information
The Evolution of Retail Technology: Connecting Consumers to Valuable Product Information
(Feature Impact) For more than 50 years, traditional universal product codes (UPCs), better known as barcodes, have automated checkout, powered retail and kept the world’s products moving one scan at a time.
Watch this video to learn more
Now it’s time for the next chapter. Brands and retailers are transitioning to QR codes powered by GS1 to enhance everyday shopping experiences, unlock more information and empower customers to make informed purchase decisions with a simple smartphone scan – while still going “beep” at the register.
For decades, UPC barcodes simply provided the price of an item, but today’s shoppers are looking for more information. This retail-labeling transformation will include advanced QR codes that unlock information about ingredients, allergens, freshness, product origin, sustainability details, recipes and more. Retailers have set a 2027 target to accept these QR codes at checkout, which can help them better operate and serve their customers in numerous ways, such as preventing recalled products from being sold.
They can also help reduce food waste, save consumers money and help people make smarter purchases by encouraging shoppers to have a richer experience with the products they’re putting in their carts.
Visit gs1us.org/smarter to discover more about the future of shopping and checkout.
SOURCE:
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