Continued: Robert H. Bruininks: How does your candidate view research?

Today, Minnesota voters will join those in 23 other states to vote for the candidate they want to be their political party's nominee for president. The campaign so far has focused on a number of important issues: the economy, national security, health care, education and the environment.

These critical issues are tied together by a common thread: The solutions to the problems we face in these areas are being pursued already at the University of Minnesota and our peer research institutions. Scientific research and the resulting innovation is critical to our country's long-term economic competitiveness, security and quality of life --and yet we've heard little in the public discourse about where candidates stand on scientific research and research funding.

Many people probably think of such research as tech-intensive, data-driven, time-consuming lab work -- and in many cases, it is. But the results of the research conducted at the University of Minnesota are real and apparent in our everyday lives. Don't believe me? The seat belt, the wearable pacemaker and Honeycrisp apples all got their starts at the U. University research on low-grade iron deposits in the early 20th century sparked the taconite boom and revitalized the Iron Range. Today we are unraveling the secrets of Alzheimer's and closing in on a potential cure for diabetes. And just last month, Prof. Doris Taylor stunned the world with the announcement that she had been able to grow a live, beating heart in a laboratory.

Federal support of our research is a cornerstone of the university's budget and strategic plan. Currently, U researchers have secured more than $600 million in federal grants and support to research everything from food safety to biofuels to inner-city education. This funding supports scientists at the university, but it also produces tens of thousands of jobs in Minnesota's private economy.

But federal funding for basic research has been in decline in recent years. And in December Congress delivered the worst blow yet by cutting funding for key science agencies that finance research, including the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.

Similar state budget reductions to higher education continue to erode the competitive position of the U, and ultimately the state, in the global economy. These cuts curtail not only discovery, but also job growth.

The decision in December to cut funding for the new underground physics lab planned near Ash River in northern Minnesota not only puts the United States at a disadvantage in the field and delays vital international research, but removes the prospect of countless new jobs required to get -- and keep -- the lab up and running. In a state whose national economic standing has slipped in recent years, these job matter.

The long-term impact of this decline in state and federal funding to support research is serious and far-reaching. The most significant consequence is the unknown -- the missed opportunities. Promising scholars will be forced to turn away from basic research, and the breakthroughs, cures and discoveries of tomorrow -- and the industries and jobs they breed -- will be lost.

A candidate's position on funding for scientific research may seem like a small matter, but I assure you it is not. Our country's economic competitiveness and quality of life demand a president who inspires and provides leadership in providing sustained federal funding for scientific research.

What can you do? Push your candidates to share their views on research funding -- and both today and in November, weigh your choices accordingly

The 20th century has often been called the American Century. I believe this is because of how far our discoveries and intellectual leadership advanced the human condition. Let's hope the 21st century will be the same.

Robert Bruininks is president of the University of Minnesota. He is also chairman of the board of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges.