Meeting the Challenge of McNutt’s 2026 Vision: How Science & Society is Strengthening the Research Ecosystem

<p class="wp-block-paragraph">On June 2, the Science &amp; Society team attended the third annual <a href="https://www.nationalacademies.org/events/1133" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">State of the Science Address</a> delivered by National Academy of Sciences President, Marcia McNutt, in Washington, DC. She addressed the status of the U.S. Science research ecosystem and was followed by a panel discussion featuring legislators, researchers, philanthropists, and industry leaders.&nbsp;</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">McNutt’s speech comes during a fundamental reshaping of the American research ecosystem under the second Trump administration. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/12/02/upshot/trump-science-funding-cuts.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cuts to the National Institute of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF)</a> triggered extensive layoffs, restructured grant eligibility, froze existing grants, and left <a href="https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/cost-trump-administrations-attacks-research-funding" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">billions in congressionally appropriated funding</a> inaccessible to scientific research.&nbsp;</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">These cuts, coupled with the late-2025 <a href="https://genesis.energy.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Genesis Mission</a> executive order promoting public-private partnerships to accelerate scientific discovery through AI, represent a fundamental shift within the scientific research ecosystem. This new approach moves away from traditional public funding models and toward a faster-paced, partnership-driven research ecosystem.&nbsp;</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Against this backdrop of shifting policies, evolving technologies, and uncertainty about the future of research, McNutt began her address by outlining <em>six</em> areas for growth within the scientific research ecosystem. Her recommendations offer a useful lens for envisioning where science is headed and examining the work of the Aspen Institute Science &amp; Society Program’s integrated platform. In the sections that follow, we highlight how our work contributes to advancing many of the opportunities McNutt identified.</p> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li class=""><em>McNutt’s first point was that <strong>we must reimagine connections between industry and universities</strong>. Collaboration between industry and universities, she said, often leads to symbiotic results. She referenced projects at the University of Washington, Clemson, and Purdue that helped connect university students with industry partners, which&nbsp; promoted a better trained workforce and an easier pathway to employment post-grad.</em></li> </ul> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">→ This emphasis on university-industry collaboration aligns with the arguments in the Science &amp; Society Program’s essay, <a href="https://leaps.bayer.com/breakthroughstudy-decoding-the-why.pdf#page=45" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Building Trust in Breakthrough Science: The Innovator&#8217;s Toolkit</em></a>. The article contends that breakthrough science depends on scientific excellence as well as the institutions, partnerships, and talent pipelines that enable discoveries to move from the laboratory into society. Building connections between&nbsp; academic researchers and industry leaders strengthen the broader innovation ecosystem, facilitate the translation of research into real-world applications, and help cultivate the next generation of scientific talent. In this sense, university-industry collaboration serves economic and workforce goals while also contributing to the trustworthiness and long-term capacity that innovative organizations need to earn public confidence and achieve societal impact.</p> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li class=""><em>McNutt’s second point was that we must <strong>realign the academic rewards system</strong>. She argued that tenure and other academic processes do not necessarily reward curiosity and other drivers of scientific innovation, and these academic structures often limit the lengths to which scientists can pursue risky or large-scale research.&nbsp;</em></li> </ul> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">→ This challenge has become the focus of growing reform efforts across higher education, including the <a href="https://www.aspeninstitute.org/blog-posts/modernizing-academic-appointment-and-advancement-ma3-challenge/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Modernizing Academic Appointment and Advancement (MA3) Challenge</a>, the Open Research Community Accelerator (ORCA), the Aspen Institute Science &amp; Society Program, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The MA3 challenge encourages universities to broaden the criteria used for hiring, promotion, and tenure by recognizing collaboration, public engagement, and other nontraditional scholarly contributions alongside traditional measures of success. In doing so, the MA3 Challenge advances McNutt&#8217;s call to build a research culture that better supports scientific innovation and the public good.</p> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li class=""><em>McNutt’s third point <strong>addressed the growing needs of the STEM workforce</strong>. She said that the STEM industries have become increasingly siloed, and cross-disciplinary studies stand to benefit the entire science research ecosystem by providing new voices and enhancing existing ones.</em></li> </ul> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">→ The Science &amp; Society program has a nationwide&nbsp; youth initiative for informal STEM education called <a href="https://ourfutureisscience.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Our Future Is Science</em></a><em> (OFIS)</em>. OFIS helps prepare the next generation of researchers and problem-solvers while building stronger connections between young people, science, and their communities. This virtual program introduces high school students to STEM careers through publicly available resources, including <a href="https://ourfutureisscience.org/events" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">community talks and events</a> that connect young people with researchers and professionals working across scientific fields.This summer, OFIS is accepting applications for its <a href="https://ourfutureisscience.org/mentorship" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mentorship program,</a> which invites high school student mentees and graduate student mentors to collaborate in small, near-peer mentorship teams where they investigate community issues, apply the scientific method, and develop evidence-based solutions through research, civic engagement, and storytelling.&nbsp;</p> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li class=""><em>McNutt’s fourth point came in the form of a statistic: <a href="https://cohortforresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Reducing-Administrative-Burden-in-Federal-Research-Grants-to-Universities.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">44% of a researcher’s time is spent on regulatory compliance</a>. While vital to ensuring responsible research, <strong>excessive regulations</strong> may unintentionally hinder the innovation and progress that scientific research seeks to advance. McNutt hopes that the government and researchers can find ways to make legal compliance less time consuming for scientists.&nbsp;</em></li> </ul> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">→ This summer, the Aspen Institute Science &amp; Society Program launched a new initiative in partnership with Google.org to examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping the scientific research ecosystem. Through a series of virtual roundtables, the initiative convened researchers, legal scholars, policymakers, and industry leaders to explore the opportunities and challenges AI presents for the sustainability, equity, privacy, and trustworthiness of scientific research. While regulatory compliance was not a primary focus of these initial discussions, the convenings began an interdisciplinary conversation about the governance structures that shape scientific research. In Fall 2027, continuing our collaboration with Google.org, these virtual conversations will expand through a series of in-person convenings, where regulatory compliance will be explored alongside other institutional challenges. The in-person convenings maintain the goal of identifying approaches that reduce unnecessary administrative burdens while preserving responsible oversight and public trust.</p> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li class=""><em>McNutt’s fifth point encouraged researchers, universities, and the private sector <strong>to share resources</strong>. With the rise in autonomous research facilities and the high cost of AI infrastructure, pooling resources may accelerate scientific progress in a fiscally sustainable way.&nbsp;</em></li> </ul> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">→ Among the Google.org roundtables that Science &amp; Society has hosted this year, the first focused on <em>Equitable and Sustainable AI Infrastructure for Science</em>. Bringing together experts, innovators, policymakers, and scientists from across sectors, the virtual roundtable examined how access to AI infrastructure is reshaping participation in scientific research. Participants discussed resource bottlenecks and explored collaborative approaches to expanding equitable access to AI infrastructure.</p> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li class=""><em>McNutt’s sixth and final point was that we must <strong>“tackle big challenges” as opposed to “safe,” incremental ones</strong>. Science must take risks, and funders of research must understand that returns might not be immediate, or may not exist at all. In addition, long-term research may not lead to immediate discovery or ‘return on investment.’ McNutt said, “Researchers need to be encouraged to explore widely and take on big challenges ––&nbsp;not just stay safe with incremental research.” McNutt called upon the government to invest in innovation even if there is no industry profit to be made. She highlighted DARPA <a href="https://www.darpa.mil/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">(Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)</a>,<strong> </strong>ARPA-H <a href="https://arpa-h.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">(Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health)</a>, and ARPA-E <a href="https://arpa-e.energy.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">(Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy)</a> as working examples of her vision.</em></li> </ul> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">→ <a href="https://ourfutureisscience.org/contest" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ideas to Impact</a> is OFIS’s national educational contest that invites young people to share how science can address challenges in their communities. Students compete for cash prizes by submitting short-form videos that present science-driven solutions to local problems. Ideas to Impact reflects OFIS’s commitment to investing in the next generation of innovators by taking a chance on students&#8217; creativity, curiosity, and potential. The contest empowers young people to identify the challenges they see firsthand and develop bold, science-driven solutions, signaling that their ideas are worth supporting before they have credentials or professional experience. By investing in emerging talent and the imagination behind it, OFIS positions itself at the forefront of a national conversation about the issues young people care about most while gaining insight into how the next generation envisions science contributing to a better future.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Aspen Institute Science &amp; Society team was honored to have attended the annual State of the Science Address. We will continue to support scientific conversations, showcase the importance of science and scientific research, and invest in creative scientific pursuits through our integrated platform. Central to these efforts is a commitment to fostering collaboration across disciplines, sectors, and generations, helping to break down the silos that often limit scientific progress. As McNutt emphasized, “Innovation is the only way that the U.S. research enterprise will remain at the top globally.” One of the best ways to innovate is to work together because meaningful collaboration is the foundation upon which scientific innovation is built.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph"></p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">The <strong>full recording</strong> of Marcia McNutt&#8217;s 2026 <em>State of the Science</em> address, including the subsequent panel discussion, is available here:</p> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-vimeo wp-block-embed-vimeo wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> <iframe loading="lazy" title="The State of the Science Address 2026" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/1195971837?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin"></iframe> </div></figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph"><dfn><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-white-color">.</mark></dfn></p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.aspeninstitute.org/blog-posts/meeting-the-challenge-of-mcnutts-2026-vision-how-science-society-is-strengthening-the-research-ecosystem/">Meeting the Challenge of McNutt&#8217;s 2026 Vision: How Science &#038; Society is Strengthening the Research Ecosystem</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.aspeninstitute.org">Aspen Institute</a>.</p>