Local Government Research Needs Revealed in The Civic Research Agenda, a New Report Published by the Federation of American Scientists
Report provides research questions and calls to action that bring science closer to local communities
Washington, D.C. – April 7, 2026 – Today the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), a non-partisan, nonprofit science policy organization dedicated to developing evidence-based policies to address national challenges, released a long-anticipated report, The Civic Research Agenda: A national study of local government research needs and roadmap for university collaboration.
“Local governments are a juggernaut of policy delivery. The Civic Research Agenda underscores that giving cities and counties more ways to access the best and most relevant research produced by technical experts is crucial to driving that progress. Deeper connections between universities and local governments can unlock innovations from the mundane to the monumental,” says Dr. Jedidah Isler, Chief Science Officer at FAS. “Not only does this report include 432 research questions, it provides recommendations on how we can improve the actionability of research into communities.”
In addition to the Civic Research Agenda, this effort also produced seven (7) priority policy research agendas, one (1) Research-to-Impact Ecosystem report, and nine (9) city-specific science R&D reports.
“We know that science and research can bring catalytic impact to local policy making. Publishing an agenda to the university community breaks down the myths and assumptions of true knowledge gaps and research needs. Communities stand to benefit directly from the calls to action cited in this report.” says Kate Garman Burns, Director of State and Local Innovation at FAS.
Key Findings
The number one research need of cities and counties concerns housing.
The other priority areas of research needs include: community engagement, economic development, service delivery, climate and energy, transportation, and human services (education, public safety, and health).
Incorrect perceptions are stalling trust between these institutions. University faculty and staff fear being seen as too intellectual and disconnected. Local government staff fear being seen as not intellectual enough.
Beyond any specific policy domain, local governments expressed the desire for support from the research community in three overarching areas: 1) evaluation; how can the research community measure and provide evidence that a policy intervention has achieved desired (or negative) impacts; 2) efficiency; how can the research community help local governments do more with less; and 3) data generation; how can the research community create and provide access to useful data that do not currently exist.
“The City of Lincoln welcomed the opportunity this convening presented to catalyze our research partnership with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Following the workshop, we have continued to collaborate with UNL to develop the City’s Research Agenda.” – Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird, Lincoln, NE
Tracking the Demand and Supply of Research
The Civic Research Agenda considers the demand and supply of research: what are the research needs of local governments, and how can research outputs improve to “supply” or provide answers to better serve that audience? FAS’s State and Local Innovation team hosted nine (9) in-person workshops in cities/counties across the country, and partnered with the National League of Cities and Porchlight Insights to produce two (2) national surveys.
“Research is essential to us. We hosted six university institutions at our workshop and are keen on continuing these conversations. We want to have the data to provide tailored solutions to each of our individual neighborhoods, we want to know what programs get the best outcomes, and we hope to partner with our universities to better our evaluation capabilities so that we know what’s working and what needs to be improved.” – Mayor Matt Tuerk, City of Allentown, PA
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ABOUT FAS
The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) works to advance progress on a broad suite of contemporary issues where science, technology, and innovation policy can deliver transformative impact, and seeks to ensure that scientific and technical expertise have a seat at the policymaking table. Established in 1945 by scientists in response to the atomic bomb, FAS continues to bring scientific rigor and analysis to address national challenges. More information about FAS’s work at fas.org.
The State and Local Innovation (formerly, MetroLab) team within FAS aims to take good ideas from the lab to local governments through intentional, regular and impact-driven policy alignment. This mission is two-fold: to put science in cities and to understand, support, and enable transformative partnerships between cities and universities. More information about the State and Local Innovation team’s work at https://fas.org/issue/metrolab/.
We need to focus on the demand and supply for research to address the needs of local government community.
Report provides research questions and calls to action that bring science
closer to local communities
The Civic Research Agenda is a culmination of several years of study, partnerships, and intelligence gathering that is the first comprehensive reporting on the priority research needs of American cities and counties.
The U.S. does not lack ideas for improving its transportation system. What it needs is a research ecosystem capable of turning those ideas into deployed solutions.