Winning the Race for the Future with the National Science Foundation
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 20th century S&T enterprise in a 21st 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 21st 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.
All Members of the National Science Board listed below have endorsed this statement:
Victor R. McCrary, Acting Chair
Sudarsanam Suresh Babu
Roger N. Beachy
Aaron Dominguez
Joan Ferrini-Mundy
Yolanda Gil
Juan E. Gilbert
Dorota Grejner-Brzezinski
Melvyn Huff
Jeffrey Isaacson
Matthew Malkan
Willie E. May
Sarah O’Donnell
Ryan Panchadsaram
Julia M. Phillips
Marvi Matos Rodriguez
Scott Stanley
Keivan Stassun
Merlin Theodore
Wanda E. Ward
Bevlee Watford
Heather Wilson
1 “Oversight and Examination of the National Science Foundation’s Priorities for 2025 and Beyond,” Dan Reed, NSB Chair Emeritus, Testimony before the Research and Technology Subcommittee, Committee on Science, Space, & Technology, May 16, 2024
2 President Donald Trump, Letter to Michael Kratsios, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, March 26, 2025
3 Connected Horizons: New Opportunities in a Changed Landscape, Darío Gil, NSB Chair, September 2024
4 “Babin, Obernolte Celebrate 75 Years of NSF Innovation,” Chairman Brian Babin and Research and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Jay Obernolte, May 9, 2025
5 The National Science Foundation Act of 1950, P.L. 81-507
6 President Donald Trump, Letter to Michael Kratsios, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, March 26, 2025
7 “Funding for R&D Isn’t a Gift to Academia, It’s Vital to U.S. Security,” Senator Todd Young and Matt Pottinger, The Washington Post, March 24, 2025
8 “As research funding dries up for US science, few alternatives appear: Private investors unlikely to support basic biomedical research,” Chemical & Engineering News, March 31, 2025
9 “Winning the AI race: Strengthening U.S. capabilities in computing and innovation,” Brad Smith, Microsoft Vice Chair & President, May 8, 2025
10 “Private firms are trying to fill research gaps, but their ‘puny’ budgets are no match for federal funds,” The Guardian, May 1, 2025
11 “The NSF is a Key National Security Pillar – Now is not the Time to Disarm,” Center for Strategic & International Studies, May 1, 2025
12 President Donald Trump, Executive Order 14283, White House Initiative to Promote Excellence and Innovation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, April 23, 2025
As U.S. National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan steps down, the National Science Board expresses its admiration and gratitude for his years of public service, first as a member of the board and then as director of the foundation.
Since President Donald Trump nominated Dr. Panchanathan to serve as the Foundation’s 15th director in 2020, Panchanathan has given the job his all. One word describes Panchanathan's deep dedication to the U.S. National Science Foundation and what he accomplished as director: fantastic.
Director Panchanathan's energy and passion are unmatched. Whether he was testifying before Congress on behalf of the agency or interacting with STEM students, his exuberance for science and engineering and NSF's mission of fueling U.S. innovation and developing domestic STEM talent was always evident.
Under his leadership, NSF launched the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (NSF TIP), the agency's first new directorate in 30 years. NSF TIP is already paying dividends for the country: fostering economic development and innovation in America's heartland and Sunbelt, accelerating development of technology, and preparing Americans for the jobs of tomorrow to maintain global competitiveness.
Through new multi-sectoral partnerships with industry and government agencies, Director Panchanathan amplified NSF's delivery of its vital charge: "… to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity and welfare; and to secure the national defense." Under Panchanathan's leadership, the agency launched 27 AI institutes through public-private partnerships, seeded regional innovation engines through TIP, and empowered a broad array of institutions through the GRANTED program. Director Panchanathan also worked to unleash the STEM talent found in every corner of the country and at all levels, from skilled technical workers to researchers in areas of critical national need.
From TIP to AI institutes to internal modernizations and countless small things benefiting science and engineering, Director Panchanathan's legacy will endure and prove transformational in the coming years.
Before President Trump selected Dr. Panchanathan to serve as NSF Director, he was our colleague on the National Science Board for six years, where he helped shape national strategy for the U.S. science and engineering enterprise and advance the NSF.
The National Science Board thanks you, "Dr. Panch," for sterling service to our country.
The board will work to continue Dr. Panchanathan's legacy of building partnerships across all sectors, developing the nation's STEM workforce at all levels, and supporting science and engineering of the highest merit to deliver economic, workforce, and national security benefits to the American people. The NSB encourages all sectors to work together in a spirit of unity for the continued benefit of the S&E enterprise across America.
For the past decade, with each release of its Science & Engineering Indicators report, the National Science Board (NSB) has sounded the alarm as the U.S.’s lead has eroded on more and more global science and engineering (S&E) metrics. As Indicators 2024 shows, China has now surpassed us in STEM talent production, research publications, patents, and knowledge-and technology-intensive manufacturing. Further details on the global S&E metrics can be found in The State of U.S. Science & Engineering 2024, which will be released on March 13th.
China has set the goal of being the world’s leading S&E nation and these NSB reports demonstrate that the United States is on the verge of allowing them to realize that objective. We already see this in artificial intelligence, where China out publishes us, has more patents, and produces more students than the United States. Every year that the United States does not meet the ambitious, but necessary, pace of investment in our nation’s S&E enterprise set by the CHIPS & Science Act is a year that we cede more ground to our global competitors, endangering U.S. national security and economic prosperity.
Statement related to resolution NSB-2024-10
The Board appreciates the consensus views of the Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s (Astro2020) report, the ambitious science goals it presents, and its associated programmatic recommendations. The top recommendation for NSF’s ground-based initiatives is the investment in the U.S. Extremely Large Telescope (USELT) program, and the Board stands ready to help the agency meet this important, ambitious, and visionary goal for U.S. science and leadership. However, the Board is concerned that the USELT alone would require about 80% of the historical Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction (MREFC) budget even under the Astro2020-recommended $1.6 billion1 investment. The Board recognizes there are compelling MREFC needs across a wide range of science and engineering fields, as well as other astronomy needs expressed in the Astro2020 decadal survey. Moreover, the priorities of the astronomy and astrophysics community must be considered in the broader context of the high-priority, high-impact projects for the many disciplines that NSF supports.
Therefore, in recognition of NSF’s other strategic priorities and out of concern that “the large gap between commitments in-hand from the partners, and what is required to complete [the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) and Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT)]”2 risks ELT and, thus, U.S. science and engineering, the Board recommends that:
- The USELT Total Project Cost to NSF does not exceed the $1.6 billion MREFC investment proposed by Astro2020.
- NSF discuss with the Board during the May 2024 meeting its plan to select which of the two candidate telescopes the Agency plans to continue to support, including estimated costs and a timeline for the project.
- NSF discuss with the Board during the May 2024 meeting its progress in developing a long-term agency strategy for MREFC projects.
1 Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s, Table S.6; pg. K-14; in real year dollars as of 2020, from NSF’s Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction account
2 Op. cit., pg. 7-24
Resolution relating to statement NSB-2024-9
WHEREAS, the National Science Board statement NSB-AF-2024-4 acknowledges that the top recommendation of the Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s (Astro2020) report for the National Science Foundation’s ground based initiatives is investment in the U.S. Extremely Large Telescope (USELT) program;
WHEREAS, the National Science Foundation has many strategic priorities and supports education, discovery, and innovation in science and engineering fields that are critical to U.S. leadership, national security, and economic prosperity;
RESOLVED, that the National Science Board endorses the National Science Foundation’s continued support for the USELT program and, pending the outcome of the appropriate internal review process, recommends that the Total Project Cost not exceed the Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction account investment of $1.6 billion proposed by Astro2020.
The Members of the National Science Board (NSB) are appalled by the reports of sexual harassment, assaults, and stalking described in the recent NSF Office of Polar Programs U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) Sexual Assault / Harassment Prevention Response (SAHPR) report. Such actions devastate and often irreparably affect victims as well as bystanders, create hostile and unsafe environments, impede access to educational and professional opportunities, undermine efforts to recruit and retain diverse STEM talent, and corrode the research enterprise. We stand with all victims and condemn these actions in the strongest possible terms.
The Board will not tolerate hostile and unsafe STEM work environments. We are, in partnership with the NSF Director, committed to addressing this immediately, forcefully, and transparently, and to ensuring that the USAP is open to all without fear of any forms of harassment or assault. We are committed to ensuring a system of accountability and we will monitor the results of these short- and long-term efforts closely in the months and years to come.
The NSB and the NSF Director have jointly identified immediate steps the Foundation is taking to ensure all USAP participants are safe and can work without fear of harassment of any form. Our immediate priority is to increase the safety of personnel at all Antarctic sites for the 2022 - 2023 season. These steps include, but are not limited to:
- A single, confidential point of contact and rapid response for any and all concerns related to assault and harassment, whether the concerned individual is an NSF-funded visiting researcher, a contractor, member of the U.S. military, or resident of another country
- Expanded on-ice victim-centered support services, independent of specific contracts or awards
- Town halls and listening sessions at all Antarctic facilities, hosted by NSF executives and NSB leaders
- Enhanced physical security measures including, but not limited to, those suggested in the SAHPR report
Our second priority is to help NSF, along with other federal agencies and private sector partners, to strengthen policies, communication, training, and oversight to ensure continued and enhanced safety measures are in place by the 2023-2024 season and beyond. Finally, as the governing board of NSF and as stewards of the United States science and engineering enterprise, the NSB commits to addressing sexual harassment and other acts of harassment (racial, ethnic, etc.) and sexual misconduct in all NSF-funded research and education environments, irrespective of location.
The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) merit review process is considered the gold standard by which competitive scientific research grants are evaluated and awarded. Due to its importance, the process must be equitable and transparent in its application.
NSB’s Vision 2030 emphasizes the pressing need to improve the level of participation of women and other underrepresented groups in the broad science and engineering enterprise, and particularly in leadership roles. In pursuit of this goal, the Board’s Committee on Oversight (CO) has studied the impact of the merit review process on the success of these identified groups in successfully accessing the research funding so critical to career advancement. As noted in the 2019 Merit Review Digest Overview, improvement is needed in this area.
With this in mind, and further motivated by NSF surveys of grant applicants that reveal some investigators are dissatisfied with the quality of written feedback on grants submissions, NSF developed a video to assist proposal reviewers. This training video provides information on elements of high-quality feedback to proposers and how reviewers can ensure fair and transparent consideration of proposals, including recognizing and addressing the reviewers’ own unconscious biases. While over 90% of those who watched the video deemed it valuable, to date only 20% of reviewers have taken advantage of the opportunity.
NSB believes that merit review would significantly benefit from maximizing the preparedness of reviewers to fulfill their critical role in meeting the high standards and expectations of the process. NSB strongly advocates for the goals of ensuring fair and transparent consideration of all proposals, ensuring awareness of reviewers’ possible implicit biases, and providing optimally useful written feedback, but leaves the specifics of appropriate training to NSF’s discretion.
WHEREAS, the National Science Board has made a statement regarding the expected benefits to the National Science Foundation’s merit review process by preparing reviewers to fulfill their critical role in meeting the high standards and expectations of that process (NSB-2021-8),
It is RESOLVED that the Director, at his discretion, shall implement policies to maximize reviewers’ preparedness to fulfill their role in the merit review process, such as through a program of required training for reviewers, and report back to the Board with an evaluation of the policies within 12 months.
Ellen Ochoa Chair
Committees of Visitors (COV) reports are an important accountability tool used by both NSF management and NSB in its oversight role. These reports provide NSF with external expert evaluations and recommendations regarding the quality, efficiency, and integrity of the processes used for merit review of proposals and program decision-making as well as examinations of program management and portfolio balance. COV reports are submitted to the relevant directorate and the NSF Director to assist NSF management in evaluating existing programs and future directions for the Foundation.
NSB’s Vision 2030 Report calls for NSF to ensure that all NSF-funded research delivers benefits to the public and provides opportunities for all Americans to enable the U.S. to keep its lead in fundamental research and bolster the workforce of the future. The Vision expects that NSB will act with NSF to ensure that women and other underrepresented groups are also achieving leadership roles in the U.S. science and engineering ecosystem though appropriate policies, programs, outreach, and funding.
As a part of implementing elements of the Vision report, NSB’s Committee on Oversight (CO) has studied how NSF’s highly regarded merit review process furthers national interests and provides opportunities to all researchers. During that process, proposals are analyzed for their potential to contribute to both intellectual merit (IM) and broader impacts (BI) in the public interest. Recent COV reports consistently call attention to disparities between how the BI and IM goals of proposals are discussed in written reviews. They note that analyses of BI are more cursory, lack consistency, and are treated with less rigor than analyses of IM. A significant number of proposals reviewed in this way are still being recommended for funding despite such inadequacies. Surveys suggest that BI is an area where both proposers and reviewers lack clear understanding of requirements, thus jeopardizing the effectiveness of the merit review process.
Although COVs have a solid track record of identifying areas for improvement regarding BI review, NSB believes that COVs would be enhanced by including at least one member who has in depth experience and knowledge in BI and can analyze and make specific recommendations to improve the current review process.
NSB therefore strongly supports an NSF policy to include at least one expert in the broader impacts criterion on COV panels.
WHEREAS, the National Science Board has issued a statement regarding the expected benefits to the merit review process from inclusion of one or more experts on broader impacts on Committee of Visitor (COV) panels (NSB-2021-9), therefore, be it
RESOLVED that the Director shall, at his discretion, develop a plan to ensure that there is appropriate broader impacts expertise on COV panels and report back to the Board evaluating impacts of the policy within 12 months.
Ellen Ochoa Chair