Washington Update

OSTP Releases "Science: A New Golden Age," Charting Overhaul of Federal R&D

By: Galen Cobb
Thursday, July 30, 2026
On July 21, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Director Michael Kratsios released Science: A New Golden Age, a 123-page report to President Trump that calls for a sweeping restructuring of the federal research enterprise. The report deliberately echoes Science: The Endless Frontier, Vannevar Bush's 1945 report to President Franklin D. Roosevelt that established the post-war federal research compact.
The report credits that post-war model with decades of U.S. scientific leadership but argues the surrounding landscape has fundamentally changed, describing a pipeline from basic to translational research that is now more circular and branched than linear, alongside a private sector that has become the dominant source of U.S. R&D funding.

FASEB has reviewed the extensive report, identified at least 47 issues in the report that we have aligned with one of our four main focus areas: the funding, conduct, communication, and use of biological and biomedical research, and considered the impact on various stakeholder groups.

Addendum: Fiscal Year 2028 R&D Priorities Memorandum
The report includes as an annex the White House Fiscal Year 2028 R&D Priorities Memorandum, co-signed by Director Kratsios and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought, which converts many of the report's recommendations into specific directives to federal agencies for their fiscal year (FY) 2028 budget submissions. The memo outlines nine priority areas for agencies to consider:
  • Re-balance R&D portfolios: shift funding toward foundational research and the physical sciences and engineering. 
  • Advance national science and technology (S&T) missions: align investments with initiatives such as the Genesis Mission and next-generation semiconductors.
  • Apply AI to accelerate research: use AI and other emerging technologies to speed up American research and innovation.
  • Expand R&D infrastructure: broaden access to federal research infrastructure for the wider science and technology ecosystem.
  • Strengthen regional ecosystems: translate scientific advances into stronger regional economies.
  • Explore new funding mechanisms: consider new institutional models and funding approaches, such as fast grants and prize challenges, to support frontier science.
  • Develop scientific talent: identify better ways to recruit and grow scientific talent, spanning K-12 education through early-career research.
  • Improve how science is funded: study and evaluate federal science funding practices, including through new metascience units, to drive continuous improvement.
  • Integrate federal R&D: coordinate federal research with private industry, academia, and regional economies to expand the impact of federal investment.
Agencies with $3 billion or more in FY 2026 R&D budget authority, including all major science funding agencies, are directed to submit implementation action plans within 90 days of the memo's release, around mid-October. These plans must describe how agencies will apply the nine priorities and incorporate the guidance into their FY 2028 budget submissions to OMB.