Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Director, Michael Kratsios, has released a landmark report titled Science: A New Golden Age, marking the most significant update to U.S. science and technology strategy since Vannevar Bush's 1940s foundational report. The report seeks to position the U.S. as a leader in an AI-driven scientific revolution by revitalizing the nation's research and development efforts.
The recommendations are organized around four pillars. First, the report calls for renewed support focusing on individual scientists rather than legacy institutions, introduces diverse funding mechanisms beyond traditional peer review, and proposes establishing agile research entities such as X-Labs and expanding ARPA-like organizations. It also suggests creating metascience units to continually enhance research quality.
Second, it emphasizes securing U.S. leadership in critical and emerging technologies by prioritizing mission-driven initiatives. Specific objectives include the Genesis Mission to double research productivity with AI, development of quantum computing platforms (QC-ADDS), demonstration of commercial fusion power by the mid-2030s, a crewed lunar return, lunar base development, and next-generation semiconductor advancements.
Third, the report highlights AI as essential to a new era of scientific advancement. It advocates full federal support and scaling of the Genesis Mission as the national AI-for-science flagship project, development of domain-specific AI models and datasets, investments in AI-based verification systems, autonomous labs, and a shift toward AI-native institutions.
Alongside the report, Director Kratsios and OMB Director Russ Vought issued the Fiscal Year 2028 R&D Priorities Memorandum, directing federal agencies to implement the report's recommendations.