OSTP Director Releases Landmark Report and Recommendations for Renewing American Scientific Discovery

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Michael Kratsios published a new report to President Trump that charts a bold course to revitalize American research and development (R&D). The report, entitled Science: A New Golden Age, marks the first comprehensive rethinking of the U.S. science and technology enterprise in over 80 years since Vannevar Bush’s Science: The Endless Frontier.

“American scientific progress was the beating heart of the 20th century. After World War II, we adapted to a new world by reinventing our scientific institutions, and we must do so again today. This report lays a policy foundation that frees American scientists to do their most groundbreaking work, revives the national pursuit of ambitious scientific missions, and positions the United States to lead the AI-driven scientific revolution that will define the next century,” said Director Kratsios.

As an annex to the report, Director Kratsios and Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Russ Vought jointly issued the White House Fiscal Year 2028 R&D Priorities Memorandum. This annual memo to Federal departments and agencies includes specific directives to implement the recommendations laid out in Science: A New Golden Age.

The report organizes its recommendations to government, industry, academia, and philanthropy around four key pillars:

1. Revitalize America’s Science and Technology Enterprise
   The R&D enterprise should refocus support on individual scientists rather than legacy institutions, diversify funding mechanisms beyond slow consensus peer review, create agile new research organizations such as X-Labs and expanded ARPA-like entities, and establish metascience units to institutionalize continuous improvement.
2. Secure U.S. Dominance in Critical and Emerging Technologies
   Federal R&D should prioritize national mission-driven scientific initiatives that unite government, industry, academia, and philanthropy around ambitious goals. These include the Genesis Mission to double the productivity of American research through AI; the Quantum Computer for Application Development and Discovery Science (QC-ADDS); commercial fusion power demonstration by the mid-2030s; crewed lunar return and lunar base development; and next-generation semiconductor technologies.
3. Launch a New Golden Age Powered by AI for Science
   The Federal government should fully fund and scale the Genesis Mission as the flagship national AI-for-science initiative to dramatically accelerate discovery; develop domain-specific scientific foundation models and high-value datasets, invest in AI-enabled verification infrastructure and autonomous laboratories; and begin transitioning toward AI-native scientific institutions better suited to an era of machine-augmented research.
4. Ensure That Science and Technology Better the Lives of All Americans
   Federal agencies should integrate hands-on technical training and apprenticeships into STEM education, open scientific careers to skilled craftspeople and practitioners, build dense regional innovation clusters that link research with advanced manufacturing, and ensure that the economic returns of discovery reach every region and community in the country.

Federal R&D agencies are required to submit an action plan within 90 days outlining implementation of these priority practices, while incorporating the budget guidance into their FY2028 submissions to the Office of Management and Budget.

Visit whitehouse.gov/science to read the report and memo.