CCST received a request from the Governor asking for assistance in the development of a California response to the National Academies report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm. This October 2005 report contains a strong message that the nation's science and math education and economic environment need serious attention in order to safeguard the future prosperity of the nation.

In response, CCST is preparing a list of "actionable" items prepared by representative constituencies of CCST that have short-term and long-term components. This is being accomplished by convening four industry-led task forces to identify state assets and brainstorm about concrete actions by government, business and industry, higher education, and federal laboratories in the state. Industry is the driver of the state's economy, and S&T workforce issues affect industry directly; it is for this reason that CCST, with connections to industry, education, and the federally funded laboratories, was considered appropriate to develop this response and bring CEOs into the task forces. Each of the four task forces is focusing on one of the National Academies main recommendations related to increasing the talent-pool, research base and business climate. Interpreted for California, these recommendations are:

• Increase California's talent pool by vastly improving K-12 science and mathematics education.
• Sustain and strengthen California's commitment to long-term basic research that has the potential to be transformational to maintain the flow of new ideas that fuel the state's economy, provide security, and enhance the quality of life.
• Make California the most attractive setting in which to study and perform research so that we can develop, recruit, and retain the best and brightest students, scientists, and engineers from within the U.S. and throughout the world.
• Ensure that California is the premier place in the world to innovate; invest in downstream activities such as manufacturing and marketing; and create high-paying jobs that are based on innovation by modernizing the state's intellectual property policies, realigning tax policies to encourage innovation, and ensuring affordable broadband access.

CCST has identified CEOs to lead the task forces and to begin raising funds for the effort. Considering the gubernatorial election in Fall 2006, there is an opportunity to provide action plans to either the incumbent or new administration. To that end, this project has been initiated as quickly as possible. CCST will present initial results from the task forces at the September 2006 National Academies Convocation on the Gathering Storm in Washington, DC. A final set of actionable items will be delivered to the state government in December 2006, and CCST will maintain a catalytic role in rolling out the action plans in early 2007.