Bill Gates says the US government has an important role to play in tech

Microsoft founder Bill Gates has published a blog post in which he argues that the US government should be funding technology research.

Gates says that "major innovations are the result of both government investments in basic research and the private-sector creativity and investments that turn them into transformative products."

The blog post argues that the new president should invest in upcoming technologies, as well as research labs and universities.

Gates doesn't endorse a candidate in the upcoming presidential election. He does, however, say that "the best leaders have the ability to do both the urgent things that demand attention today."

In the past Gates has hinted at his support for Hillary Clinton after working with her foundation on charity projects. "Science in general, whether it's GMOs or vaccines, there's a lot of people out there who don't give science the benefit of the doubt," Gates said. "In terms of experience, Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton have more experience on global health."

Here are the four objectives that Gates says the US government and tech companies should focus on:

• Provide everyone with affordable energy in a way that won't cause climate change.
• Create a HIV vaccine and a cure for neurodegenerative diseases.
• Protect people from future epidemics.
• Give teachers and students new tools.

What Gates is saying goes against typical Silicon Valley belief. Technology entrepreneurs and investors tend to be libertarian in their political leanings, preferring free markets over government intervention. But Gates is arguing for more involvement by the government, not less.