Vannevar Bush’s 1945 report Science, the Endless Frontier established the blueprint for modern U.S. science policy and federal funding for academic research
- Government Support: The federal government must fund basic scientific research to secure national health, security, and economic prosperity. [1]
- Basic vs. Applied Science: Basic research (driven by curiosity) must be funded without expecting immediate practical or commercial results, acting as the foundation for future applied science. [1]
- New Agency: Bush proposed creating a centralized, independent federal agency—which led directly to the establishment of the National Science Foundation in 1950—to manage these grants through merit-based peer review. [1, 2, 3]
- Talent Development: The government should support education and scholarships to nurture a diverse new generation of scientific talent
Endless Frontier: Vannevar Bush, Engineer of the American Century - Wikipedia
Catalog Record: Science, the endless frontier. A report to... | HathiTrust Digital Library
Science, the endless frontier. A report to the President /by Vannevar Bush, director of the Office of scientific research and development. July 1945.
Science: A New Golden Age – The White House
Inside Trump's Science Agenda: Anti-Science Claims, Fauci's Damage, DEI & China w/ Michael Kratsios - YouTube @ All-In Podcast - YouTube
In this episode of the All-In Podcast, Michael Kratsios, the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), outlines the administration's vision for a "New Golden Age" of American science. The core objective is to move away from administrative, politicized funding models toward a system that empowers individual researchers to pursue high-risk, high-reward breakthroughs.
Key Themes & Takeaways
- Rethinking Science Funding: Kratsios argues that the current system is overly bureaucratic and incentivizes low-risk, incremental research. The administration seeks to prioritize "gold standard" science by funding individuals and teams rather than just institutions or narrow projects (16:35-21:35).
- The "Genesis Mission": A flagship effort to double American scientific output by aggressively integrating AI across all scientific disciplines, fundamentally changing how discoveries are made (24:14-25:45).
- Global Competition with China: The administration emphasizes the need to regain a competitive edge. They highlight that while China has rapidly increased its R&D spending, the U.S. must leverage its free-market ecosystem and focus on foundational research to maintain its lead (34:04-37:01).
- Removing Politicization: A significant portion of the conversation focuses on moving away from DEI-focused grant requirements and correcting what the administration views as the politicization of science during the COVID-19 pandemic (7:06-8:15; 44:09-47:00).
- Bold Goals: The administration has set aggressive timelines for national priorities, including:
- Human return to the Moon by 2028 (23:32).
- Scientifically relevant quantum computing by 2028 (23:46).
- Fusion energy milestones targeted for 2035 (24:04).
The "New Golden Age" Report
This interview serves as a discussion of the OSTP's recent report, Science: A New Golden Age, which aims to be the first comprehensive restructuring of the American scientific enterprise since Vannevar Bush’s 1945 landmark report, Science, The Endless Frontier (30:03-31:45).
Office of Science and Technology Policy – The White House