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ScienceQuiet 7d · day 10

NSF memo shifts focus to Trump administration research priorities

The National Science Foundation signals a retreat from funding individual researcher ideas, redirecting resources to align with administration technology goals.

newest coverage 6d agosummary written 7d ago9 pieces103 likes & upvotes21 comments MastodonHacker News

What to know

  • NSF issued a 10-page memo on September 10 fundamentally redirecting the agency's funding model away from investigator-initiated research toward administration-defined priorities.
  • The shift represents a departure from decades of NSF practice emphasizing individual researcher autonomy and workforce development in science.
  • Scientists express concern that the change will constrain the pursuit of curiosity-driven discovery and affect the training pipeline for future researchers.
most voices

NSF's shift away from investigator-driven research represents a troubling departure from its core mission.

  • “For many U.S. scientists funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the agency they know and loved died on 10 September.”

    petersuber@fediscience.org · Mastodon ↗

National Science Foundation (NSF) Federal science funding agencyPresident Donald TrumpPresident Donald Trump U.S. President

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage posts

Peak 2 pieces in 3h at Sep 16, 7 AM; 9 pieces over 10 days (9 posts) Sep 13, 10 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 14, 1 AM — quietSep 14, 4 AM — quietSep 14, 7 AM — quietSep 14, 10 AM — quietSep 14, 1 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 14, 4 PM — quietSep 14, 7 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 14, 10 PM — quietSep 15, 1 AM — quietSep 15, 4 AM — quietSep 15, 7 AM — quietSep 15, 10 AM — quietSep 15, 1 PM — quietSep 15, 4 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 15, 7 PM — quietSep 15, 10 PM — quietSep 16, 1 AM — quietSep 16, 4 AM — quietSep 16, 7 AM — 2 pieces · 2 posts — Mastodon 2Sep 16, 10 AM — 2 pieces · 2 posts — Hacker News 1, Mastodon 1Sep 16, 1 PM — quietSep 16, 4 PM — quietSep 16, 7 PM — quietSep 16, 10 PM — quietSep 17, 1 AM — quietSep 17, 4 AM — quietSep 17, 7 AM — quietSep 17, 10 AM — quietSep 17, 1 PM — quietSep 17, 4 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 17, 7 PM — quietSep 17, 10 PM — quietSep 18, 1 AM — quietSep 18, 4 AM — quietSep 18, 7 AM — quietSep 18, 10 AM — quietSep 18, 1 PM — quietSep 18, 4 PM — quietSep 18, 7 PM — quietSep 18, 10 PM — quietSep 19, 1 AM — quietSep 19, 4 AM — quietSep 19, 7 AM — quietSep 19, 10 AM — quietSep 19, 1 PM — quietSep 19, 4 PM — quietSep 19, 7 PM — quietSep 19, 10 PM — quietSep 20, 1 AM — quietSep 20, 4 AM — quietSep 20, 7 AM — quietSep 20, 10 AM — quietSep 20, 1 PM — quietSep 20, 4 PM — quietSep 20, 7 PM — quietSep 20, 10 PM — quietSep 21, 1 AM — quietSep 21, 4 AM — quietSep 21, 7 AM — quietSep 21, 10 AM — quietSep 21, 1 PM — quietSep 21, 4 PM — quietSep 21, 7 PM — quietSep 21, 10 PM — quietSep 22, 1 AM — quietSep 22, 4 AM — quietSep 22, 7 AM — quietSep 22, 10 AM — quietSep 22, 1 PM — quietSep 22, 4 PM — quietSep 22, 7 PM — quietSep 22, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietToday, 1 AM — quietToday, 4 AM — quiet 1
Sep 14Sep 15Sep 16Sep 17Sep 18Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22now · 6:47 AM ET
  1. 1

    Scientific community expresses concern over policy shift

    Researchers and science advocates respond with alarm to the memo, characterizing the shift as unsettling and representing a fundamental departure from NSF's traditional mission of supporting investigator-driven discovery and workforce development.

    “For many U.S. scientists funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the agency they know and loved died on 10 September.”
    — Science.org reporting · source
    • petersuber@fediscience.org

      "For many U.S. scientists funded by the National Science Foundation (#NSF), the agency they know and loved died on 10 September. That’s the date NSF issued a 10-page memo signaling a retreat from its traditional role of giving grants to individual researchers to pursue their best ideas and to train the next generation of scientists. Instead, the…

      petersuber@fediscience.orgMastodon7d ago38▲view on Mastodon ↗
    2 more of the top 3 · 5 posts in this stretch
    • AkaSci@fosstodon.org

      From Science.org: "The National Science Foundation (NSF) has issued a 10-page memo signaling a retreat from its traditional role of giving grants to individual researchers to pursue their best ideas and to train the next generation of scientists. Instead, the memo makes clear, NSF will devote the bulk of its resources to addressing the research…

      AkaSci@fosstodon.orgMastodon8d ago27▲view on Mastodon ↗
    • ScienceDesk@flipboard.social

      On Sept. 10, the National Science Foundation issued a 10-page memo, changing the role of the agency from giving grants to individual researchers pursuing their best ideas, to addressing the research priorities of President Donald Trump and his administration. Science magazine takes a look at what led to this, and the possible consequences…

      ScienceDesk@flipboard.socialMastodon6d agoview on Mastodon ↗
    all of them →
  2. background

    NSF issues memo redirecting funding toward administration priorities — The National Science Foundation released a 10-page memo signaling a strategic retreat from its traditional role of funding grants to individual researchers pursuing their own ideas and training the next generation of scientists. Instead, the memo indicates NSF will devote the bulk of its resources to research priorities set by President Trump and his administration, many of them technology-focused.

What people are saying 1 voices from 1 site · best of 5 · verbatim