Winning the Race for the Future with the National Science Foundation

May 16, 2025

The U.S. risks losing its science and technology (S&T) leadership and with it, America’s national security, prosperity, and uncontested control of its destiny. Military strength comes from economic strength, and economic strength comes from a robust and relentless cycle of discovery and innovation. In short, S&T is the new global currency of power. 

Recognizing that America’s scientific and technological prowess has fueled its success since World War II, today countries around the globe are investing heavily in S&T.  Since 2000, global investment in research and development has more than doubled. Today, the U.S. no longer leads the world in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) doctoral degree production, research publications, and patents.¹ As President Trump has said,² to win the technological race with our geopolitical adversaries, America needs to rapidly accelerate its investment in critical and advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, and biotechnology. The U.S. must also stay at the cutting edge of discovery to lead the development and deployment of future technologies that we cannot imagine today.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is the keystone of American progress and prosperity, uniquely investing across all science and engineering fields. Today’s critical fields have attracted an explosion of private investment in part because NSF supported early-stage research in these fields years ago. For example, the NSF Network, established in 1985 in coordination with industry and academia, was a forerunner of today’s privatized Internet which is now valued in trillions of dollars. Simultaneously, the Foundation develops the next generation of domestic STEM workers, from semiconductor technicians to computer scientists and quantum engineers. Key to this remarkable legacy has been the Foundation’s dedicated staff who identify meritorious ideas with the most transformative potential. They too are a national asset.

The science and engineering landscape has changed dramatically³ in the last 75 years. Today the U.S. is running a 20^th century S&T enterprise in a 21^st century world. We have burdened our research enterprise with administrative processes that researchers and policymakers alike agree are too slow and unwieldy. Now is the moment to pursue reforms that unleash our federal agencies and national laboratories to easily partner with industry to meet urgent national needs, speed the translation of research to societal and economic benefits, build a robust domestic STEM workforce, and secure our national defense.  

Thanks to a long history of strong bipartisan support, NSF’s 75 years of strategic investments have delivered remarkable returns for American society.⁴ To win the future, America needs a robust Next Generation NSF that will continue to fulfill the Foundation’s statutory mission⁵ to support the most meritorious S&T research and for other purposes while responding to the President’s imperative to enhance speed, transparency, and impact. Next Generation NSF will:

• Prioritize bold, ambitious basic research that lays the groundwork for future world-changing advances – the next, next big thing
• Make federal dollars a force multiplier by expanding partnerships with business, state, philanthropic, and other sectors
• Mitigate the threat of technological surprise by coordinating research initiatives with the Department of Defense and other national security entities
• Develop domestic STEM talent in critical and emerging areas via increased direct support to the next generation of scientists, engineers, and technicians.

President Trump charged our nation’s S&E leaders to "... renew the American scientific enterprise for the century ahead." Accomplishing this vision requires resources. To blaze a trail to the next frontiers of science and engineering and win the global S&T race,⁶ federal investment in science and engineering research⁷ must match the aspirations of the President and Congress. The private sector relies on long-term federal investment in early-stage research,⁸ and American industry leaders⁹ have been blunt: they will not compensate for drastic reductions in federal funds.¹⁰ Foreign adversaries will take advantage if we do not act prudently. The Board raises this as part of its statutory obligation to advise the Congress and the President.

In these challenging times for the U.S. research community, we remain unwavering in our commitment to the pursuit of scientific progress for the benefit of society. Building on a long tradition of national support, we are confident that America’s creative, dedicated, and resilient scientists, engineers, and technicians in all sectors will thrive in the new 21^st century S&T ecosystem that we can continue building together.

NSF is a key pillar of our nation’s security and strength.^11,12 The National Science Board will work with the Administration, Congress, and the scientific community to make Next Generation NSF a reality and reinvigorate the American S&T enterprise to ensure our nation’s prosperity and security for the next 75 years. The time is now.

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