Even as the federal government nears a possible shutdown next month over a delayed budget and many in the U.S. Congress call for severe spending cuts, the nation's chief science adviser said President Obama remains committed to science and technology investments as essential drivers of the country's economic future.

John P. Holdren, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, said Friday at the AAAS Annual Meeting that from clean energy to electronic health records, Obama "realizes that science and technology are not just germane to success, but central."  And Holdren reassured his audience that the president's concerns reach beyond research spending to supporting the larger science enterprise, from education to commercial applications.

"It's not automatic that the United States will be number 1 in science, technology, and innovation," Holdren told reporters at a AAAS news briefing. "This is something that has to be cultivated. It has to be invested in. The president has been very clear that he wants us to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the competition. "

In his plenary address to the 2011 AAAS Annual Meeting, enthusiastically received by a standing room-only crowd of more than1500,  Holdren shared his insights on a president deeply engaged in the details of science policy, convinced of its importance to the country's future, and personally delighted by the discoveries of scientists and students.

Federal research and development spending climbed its highest ever levels in fiscal years 2009 and 2010 as the U.S. Congress authorized more than $100 billion dollars for S&T projects as part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. The president's fiscal year 2012 budget, which calls for a five-year freeze on non-defense discretionary spending, doesn't soar to the same heights, Holdren said.

Despite the freeze, Holdren noted, Obama's proposed budget would increase spending on all basic and applied research by 5% over the fiscal year 2010 budget. Some federal agencies, such as the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, would see double digit increases from their 2010 funding.

In a news briefing with U.S. and international journalists earlier in the day, Holdren said the president believes that "no matter how severe the fiscal contraints, now is not the time to stop investing in the drivers of economic growth that we need."

Spending on specific programs remains part of the administration's overall innovation strategy, Holdren said, but he noted the administration's equal focus on "cross-cutting foundations of strength for science and technology."  These foundations, he said, include basic research and teaching at the university level; technology investments from new battery designs to expanded wireless Internet access; increased support for science, technology, engineering and mathematics education; and policy stances on patents, immigration, and exports that are "conducive to innovation."

The state of U.S. science education is a particular concern, Holdren noted. "The president has frequently said that the single most important thing that we can do for our country is to lift our game in science, engineering, technology and math education in every level from preschool to graduate school and lifelong learning."

Obama also has surrounded himself with prominent scientists as advisers and regularly seeks their expertise. Many recommendations from the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, from a budget request for 100,000 new science teachers to increased funding for advanced energy research projects,"have become part of the president's strategy in science, technology, and innovation," said Holdren, the council's co-chair.

There have been some setbacks at the administration's midpoint, Holdren acknowledged, saying that it may take until 2012 to get a comprehensive energy and climate change bill passed in the U.S. Congress.

But he also cited numerous examples of new public-private partnerships advanced by the admistration, such as Startup America's entrepreneur program and the Challenge.gov site that highlights the availability of cash prizes for citizens who come up with the best designs for fuel-efficient cars and electronic medical records, among other projects.

Before his appointment as OSTP director and assistant to the president for science and technology, Holdren was the Teresa and John Heinz Professor of Environmental Policy at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. In 2007, the former AAAS president spoke at the Annual Meeting about the need for more scientists to join with government and industry officials to address pressing problems of climate change and nuclear proliferation--to name a few of the dozens of topics in his current job description.

In stories and photos during this year's address, Holdren also shared a glimpse of a president personally fascinated by science and willing to immerse himself in the details of discovery.

"I think it's safe to say," Holdren concluded, "that science, technology and innovation have never been so prominent in leadership positions in the U.S. government."