The White House unveiled a new vision for scientific research this week that directs federal agencies to fund more scientific research outside of universities.
The report and accompanying research and development priorities promote the funding of individual researchers doing basic research who choose the institutions where they’ll carry out their work. They also encourage funding bodies to issue multiyear grants, a controversial practice that critics say harms early-career researchers.
“Throughout history, Americans have developed various ways to support scientific progress that depart from the university-based, principal investigator–driven grant,” wrote Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, in the report “Science: A New Golden Age.” In the report, Kratsios—a former Pentagon official, managing director of Scale AI and chief of staff for conservative billionaire Peter Thiel—stresses the increasing complexity of scientific problems and the need for large teams involving multiple disciplines and sectors to solve them.
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