SCIENCE
A  NEW  G OL DEN  AGE
A REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT
BY
MICHAEL KRATSIOS
DIRECTOR OF THE WHITE HOUSE OFFICE
OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
JULY 2026

i
“The American story is one of boundless creativity and bold 
ambition, driven by an indomitable pioneering spirit that propels 
exploration and discovery.  It is this spirit that illuminated the 
world with Edison’s lightbulb, carried the Wright brothers into 
the skies, and sent Armstrong to the moon.  Today, a new frontier 
of scientific discovery lies before us.” 
President Donald J. Trump
January 23, 2025
SCIENCE: A NEW GOLDEN AGE

ii
letter of transmittal  v
president trump’s letter  viii
summary of the report  x
chapter i
introduction
Scientific Progress Remains Essential  1
As the Source of Our Triumphs  2
The Landscape Is Changing  3
New Frontiers and New Approaches  4
Growing Private Sector R&D  5
The Linear Model No Longer Holds  7
Our Researchers Face Mounting Challenges  8
A Time of Urgent Scientific Need  8
Regaining Leadership  10
The President’s Charge  11
chapter ii
revitalizing america’s science and technology enterprise
The Scientific Machine Is Getting Bogged Down  13
Slowed by Growing Frictions  15
The Incumbency Tax  15
Weakened Meritocracy  17
Misaligned Incentives  17
The Reproducibility Crisis  18
A Lack of Accountability  19
A Better Path Forward  20
Adapting to the Changing Nature of Science  22
Novel Performers  24
New Mechanisms  26
Better Grantmaking  27
Prize Challenges  28
Future Ideas  29
A Portfolio-Based Approach  30
Driving Constant Innovation  31
Table of Contents

iii
chapter iii
securing u.s. dominance in critical and emerging technologies
We Must Choose Our Technological Future  33
Failure of the Passive Model  34
Choosing to Lead  35
Fighting in Our Own Arena  35
Unleashing Innovation  36
The Freedom to Build  37
Places to Test  38
Opening America’s Laboratories  40
Tapping Our Private Sector  41
Closer Partnerships  42
Marshaling Grand Efforts  43
Pre-Competitive Consortia  44
Our National Character  45
chapter iv
ensuring that science and technology better the lives 
of all americans
The Marriage of Science and Craft  47
Our Manufacturing Base  48
Vast Potential Remains Untapped  49
Our Educational System Tilted the Scales  50
We Must Restructure Science as a Broader Endeavor  51
Expanding Participation  52
Integrated Models of Training  53
New Paths for Translation  54
Making Progress Available to All  55
Table of Contents

iv
chapter v
a new golden age
The Age of Intelligence  57
Adapting Our Institutions  59
Building the Infrastructure  61
The Genesis Mission  62
Gold Standard Science  64
Ideas on the Horizon  66
Rethinking Scientific Publication  67
New Forms of Collaboration and Credit  68
As We May Build  70
end notes  73
annex
white house fiscal year 2028 administration research 
and development budget priorities memorandum  85
FY 2028 R&D Priority Areas  87
R&D Priority Practices  95
Implementation  104
Table of Contents

v
Dear Mr. President:
Eighty-one years ago, President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote a letter to Vannevar 
Bush, tasking him with reorganizing America’s scientific enterprise after World 
War II. Bush’s response was a report, titled Science: The Endless Frontier. It estab­
lished the Federal Government’s role in supporting basic science, led to the cre­
ation of the National Science Foundation, and shaped our nation’s science and 
technology strategy for decades afterward. That report was foundational to the 
American Century and to the technological world in which we live today. 
Now, as we celebrate the United States’ 250th anniversary, we have the 
responsibility to renew our foundations once more. Never have science and tech­
nology been more central to our nation’s security and prosperity, and, although 
America continues to set the pace of scientific progress, global competitors are 
racing to challenge our leadership. This historical moment demands that we 
modernize our institutions to match the achievements of our past and the ambi­
tions of our future.
In your letter of March 26, 2025, on the occasion of my Senate confirmation 
as Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, you challenged me to 
reexamine America’s research and development ecosystem in light of changes 
brought on by the 21st century. 
The report I present here diagnoses the obstacles American researchers face 
today, and the ways our scientific enterprise has fundamentally transformed since 
its basic organization was established in 1945. Though our investments in research 
have grown, scientific productivity has slowed. We have become dependent on a 
narrow set of legacy institutions. Our incentive structures reward conformity over 
bold inquiry. And the capacity that once turned American discoveries into Ameri­
can strength has eroded, undermined by decades of industrial offshoring.
To address these and related challenges, this report puts forward recommen­
dations for the entire scientific and technological ecosystem, across government, 
academia, philanthropy, and industry. Underlying all of these recommendations is 
Letter of Transmittal
July 21, 2026
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20502