New NSCEB Paper Envisions the Future of Science, Modernizing the U.S. Scientific Enterprise

Congressional Commission identifies ways to make the Federal government a better partner to industry, philanthropy, and academic institutions to maximize impact and deliver breakthroughs for all Americans

25 November 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington, DC – Today, the NSCEB announced the publication of a new discussion paper, “The Future of Science: A Playbook for Accelerating American Innovation.”

This is the first in a series of fresh analyses that the Commission will publish following the publication of its major report and Action Plan for Congress in April 2025. This new work represents observations from the Commission, drawn from extensive consultations from a range of expert stakeholders, that may support future policy recommendations. The NSCEB found clear warning signs that the United States is losing its innovation edge, not only in biotechnology but in science more broadly.

The discussion paper focuses on three topics:

Making the Federal Government a better partner in science and technology
Enabling autonomous scientific discovery
Unlocking science across America

“We believe if Congress, the American people, and the administration have more trust in our research ecosystem and that research dollars are being used wisely, appropriately, and efficiently, it will lead to more investment because there will be confidence in the system,” said Senator Todd Young, NSCEB Chair.

“This is a great moment to reimagine how we fund science in this country, and how the U.S. government can be more efficient and collaborative with other funders of science, like philanthropies and industry. We can better support our world-class universities and research institutions, while spreading benefit across the country and getting more impact out of what we spend on basic research,” said Dr. Michelle Rozo, NSCEB Vice Chair.

These new ideas come at a pivotal moment for retooling America’s scientific infrastructure. With the announcement of the Executive Order, “Launching the Genesis Mission,” the Trump Administration is investing in AI-enabled scientific discovery. The ideas in the Executive Order align with the NSCEB’s new analysis on autonomous scientific discovery as well as recommendations from April 2025 regarding the need for:

A Web of Biological Data (Recommendation 4.1a), a “comprehensive central biological data infrastructure that would serve as a single point of entry for accessing biological data, have built in security and access controls, and provide opportunities for advanced computation and analysis.” This aligns with the “American Science and Security Platform” in Section 3 of the Genesis Mission EO.
Department of Energy Centers for Biotechnology and Grand Research Challenges (Recommendations 4.3a,b,c) that would unlock leap-ahead capabilities and inspire American innovators to pursue once-impossible goals. This aligns with the Identification of National Science and Technology Challenges in Section 4 of the Genesis Mission EO as well as Section 5(iv) regarding coordinated funding opportunities and prize competitions.

About NSCEB: The National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology is a time-limited, high-impact legislative branch advisory entity whose purpose is to advance and secure biotechnology, biomanufacturing, and associated technologies for U.S. national security and to prepare the United States for the bioindustrial revolution. The Commission published a comprehensive report in April 2025, including recommendations for action by Congress and the federal government. The bipartisan Commission is composed of Congressionally-appointed Commissioners with members from both the Senate and the House of Representatives as well as experts from industry, academia, and government. For more information about the Commission and to view the report, visit: biotech.senate.gov.

Contacts:

NSCEB: press@biotech.senate.gov