Vision and Framework for Strategy and Planning
Published August 2005

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Approach 2: Strengthen Basic Research Contributions

A base of supporting fundamental research is essential to the applied R&D for technology development. The CCTP approach includes strengthening basic research in Federal research facilities and academia by focusing efforts on key areas needed to develop insights or breakthroughs relevant to climate-related technology R&D. A strong and creative science program is necessary to support and enable technical progress in CCTP’s portfolio of applied R&D programs, explore novel approaches to new challenges, and bolster the underlying knowledge base for new discoveries.

Fundamental discoveries can reveal new properties and phenomena that can be applied to development of new energy technologies and other important systems. These can include breakthroughs in our understanding of biological functions, properties and phenomena of nanomaterials and structures, computing architectures and methods, plasma science, environmental sciences, and many more that are currently on the horizon.