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The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) published a request for information (RFI) on Nov. 26, 2025, seeking input from academia, private sector industry groups and other relevant stakeholders on federal policies "aim[ed] to accelerate the American scientific enterprise, enable groundbreaking discoveries, and ensure that scientific progress and technological innovation benefit all Americans." The RFI indicates that responses will "inform the formulation of Executive branch efforts to advance and maintain U.S [science and technology] leadership."
The RFI discusses the country's history of scientific innovation and dominance across industries ranging from healthcare to the space program. It also discusses intensifying global competition and developments in emerging and rapidly developing areas of research, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum information science.
In the RFI, OSTP takes the position that "new scientific opportunities, intensifying global competition, and evidence that traditional approaches to research could be greatly improved" necessitate a "comprehensive assessment of how the Federal government prioritizes and structures scientific research."
OSTP invites RFI respondents to address a list of research policy-related questions, including, but not limited to, the following:
- What policy changes to federal funding mechanisms, procurement processes or partnership authorities would enable stronger public-private collaboration and allow America to tap into its vast private sector to better drive use-inspired basic and early-stage applied research?
- How can federal programs better identify and develop scientific talent across the country, particularly leveraging digital tools and distributed research models to engage researchers outside of traditional academic centers?
- What policies would encourage the formation and scaling of regional innovation ecosystems that connect local businesses, universities, educational institutions and the local workforce – particularly in areas where the federal government has existing research assets such as national laboratories or federally funded research centers?
- How can the federal government strengthen research security to protect sensitive technologies and dual-use research while minimizing compliance burdens on researchers?
- How can the federal government leverage and prepare for advances in AI systems that may transform scientific research – including automated hypothesis generation, experimental design, literature synthesis and autonomous experimentation? What infrastructure investments, organizational models and workforce development strategies are needed to realize these capabilities while maintaining scientific rigor and research integrity?
- How can the federal government foster closer collaboration among scientists, engineers and skilled technical workers and better integrate training pathways, recognizing that breakthrough research often requires deep collaboration between theoretical and applied expertise?
Arguably one of the most important questions invites respondents to identify specific federal statutes, regulations or policies that "create unnecessary barriers to scientific research or the deployment of research outcomes[.]" OSTP asks respondents to "describe the barrier, its impact on scientific progress, and potential remedies that would preserve legitimate policy objectives while enabling innovation."
The RFI comment period closes at 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 26, 2025.
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