According to The New York Times, the National Science Foundation wrote that “investment in has flatlined over the last several years as a share of the economy, stabilizing at about 2.9 percent of” 2012 GDP. The Times argues that the U.S. is falling behind other countries and that “investment in basic research - the fundamental building block for innovation and economic advancement - steadily shrank as a share of the economy in the decade to 2012.” The R refers to spending to discover basic scientific principles, whereas the D means investment in improving existing products or inventing new ones.