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How the United States Gave Up Being a Science Superpower

This article previously appeared in Nature. US global dominance in science was no accident, but a product of a far-seeing partnership between public and private sectors to boost innovation and econ…

Collectively, US universities spin off more than 1,100 science-based start-up companies each year, leading to countless products that have saved and improved millions of lives, including heart and cancer drugs, and the mRNA-based vaccines that helped to bring the world out of the COVID-19 pandemic. But, today, this engine is being sabotaged in the Trump administration’s attempt to purge research programmes in areas it doesn’t support, such as climate change and diversity, equity and inclusion, and to rein in campus protests. In reality, they fund essential infrastructure: laboratory space, compliance with safety regulations, data storage and administrative support that allows principal investigators to focus on science rather than paperwork.

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