White House Calls for Shift in U.S. Research Enterprise

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) recently released Science: A New Golden Age, a report that outlines recommendations to reshape the nation's research enterprise. OSTP and the Office of Management and Budget also issued a memo that identifies Trump administration research priorities and directs federal agencies implementation.

The report calls for increased investment in physical sciences and engineering, expanded use of AI in research and stronger partnerships with private industry. It also encourages alternatives to traditional grantmaking and peer review and recommends providing more support directly to individual researchers, rather than institutions.

The OSTP director highlighted the report’s themes during a Capitol Hill event hosted by Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), co-chair of the Senate AI Caucus. The director said the recommendations create opportunities to rethink how the U.S. conducts scientific research. NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, also discussed the institute’s recently launched Bio Genesis Mission, which aligns with the goals of the OSTP-led Genesis Mission.

ACR will continue to monitor developments related to the report. Provisions of interest include aligning research activities with administration priorities, supporting multi-year funding awards, requiring research to meet "Gold Standard Science” standards, increasing recruitment and visibility of agency program officers, and streamlining grant requirements, forms and submission processes across agencies.

For more information contact Katie Grady, ACR Government Affairs Director.