Senator Barack Obama’s science and technology (S&T) platform, which concentrated on improving U.S. competitiveness, included doubling federal funding for basic research, and creation of a new Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to make sure that the U.S. government has the most updated infrastructure and technology services available.

In a September 2008 document , the Obama/Biden ticket committed to appointing “a highly qualified Assistant to the President for Science and Technology who will report directly to him and serve as Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.”

“(Nobel Prize winner Steven Chu’s) appointment (as Energy Secretary) should send a signal to all that my administration will value science,” President-elect Obama said at a Chicago press conference 15 December 2008. “We will make decisions based on facts, and we understand that the facts demand bold action.”

“From landing on the moon, to sequencing the human genome, to inventing the Internet, America has been the first to cross that new frontier because we had leaders who paved the way: leaders like President Kennedy, who inspired us to push the boundaries of the known world and achieve the impossible; leaders who not only invested in our scientists, but who respected the integrity of the scientific process.
“Because the truth is that promoting science isn’t just about providing resources — it’s about protecting free and open inquiry. It’s about ensuring that facts and evidence are never twisted or obscured by politics or ideology. It’s about listening to what our scientists have to say, even when it’s inconvenient — especially when it’s inconvenient. Because the highest purpose of science is the search for knowledge, truth and a greater understanding of the world around us. […]
“I am confident that if we recommit ourselves to discovery; if we support science education to create the next generation of scientists and engineers right here in America; if we have the vision to believe and invest in things unseen, then we can lead the world into a new future of peace and prosperity.”
— President-elect Obama, December 2008

“For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.”
— President Obama’s inaugural speech, 20 January 2009