Good Science Project x FAS
Proposals to Produce ‘Good Science’ In a Time of Disruption
Scientific research in the U.S. is at a crossroads. The Trump Administration has levied deep funding cuts at science agencies and made significant changes to the federal workforce and agency structure. But challenges in how science is funded and executed long predate this acute period of disruption. For years science agencies have not been incentivized to fund risky proposals, leading to more incremental than breakthrough discoveries. Researchers are bogged down by paperwork, talent pipelines are shrinking, and even when new ideas do break through, they are getting harder to operationalize because of what has been popularized as “procedural kludge.”
As the federal government and universities confront this reality, the moment is ripe with opportunities for systematic improvements. The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) and the Good Science Project partnered to crowdsource ideas for a scientific enterprise that better serves the nation. A diverse group of experts to put forth their ideas for science reform. Through a months-long policy development sprint, we have set out to identify crucial challenges for scientific research and scientific institutions, and how to best remedy them.
Policy entrepreneurs identified these areas with outsize potential for impact:
- Accountability Improvements
- Administrative Efficiencies
- Research Lab Invigoration
Each policy memo is an independent idea based on the authors’ expertise, values, and priorities. Using their combined power to interpret complex scientific issues, while also deeply understanding the policy universe, FAS and the Good Science Project are uniquely positioned to provide policymakers with actionable directives to improve how we conduct science in the federal government.
Accountability Improvements
Bounty Hunters for Science >>
Fraud in scientific research is more common than we’d like to think. Such research can mislead entire scientific fields for years, driving futile and wasteful followup studies and slowing down real scientific discoveries. To truly push the boundaries of knowledge, researchers should be able to base their theories and decisions on a more trustworthy scientific record.
Confirming Hope: Validating Surrogate Endpoints to Support FDA Drug Approval Using an Inter-Agency Approach >>
As surrogate markers are increasingly being accepted by FDA to support approval of new drugs and biologics, it is imperative that patients and clinicians understand whether such novel endpoints are reflective of meaningful clinical benefits.
Reshma Ramachandran, Joshua D. Wallach, Joseph Ross
Improving Research Transparency and Efficiency through Mandatory Publication of Study Results >>
Mandated publication would ensure all federal grants have outputs, whether hypotheses were supported or not, reducing repetition of ideas in future grant applications.
Administrative Efficiencies
Improve Healthcare Data Capture at the Source to Build a Learning Health System >>
Clearly, we must do a better job of figuring out the right treatments, for the right patients, at the right time. To meet this challenge, it is essential to improve our ability to capture reusable data at the point of care that can be used to improve care, discover new treatments, and make healthcare more efficient.
Reduce Administrative Research Burden with ORCID and DOI Persistent Digital Identifiers >>
ORCIDs are already used by most federal science agencies. We propose that federal science agencies also adopt digital object identifiers for research awards, an industry-wide standard.
Use Artificial Intelligence to Analyze Government Grant Data to Reveal Science Frontiers and Opportunities >>
We recommend that the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) oversee a multiagency development effort to fully subject grant applications to AI analysis to predict the future of science, enhance peer review, and encourage better research investment decisions by both the public and the private sector..
A Cross-Health and Human Services Initiative to Cut Wasteful Spending and Improve Patient Lives >>
The Secretary of Health and Human Services should launch a Department-wide initiative to reduce wasteful spending on health services, drugs, and ineffective medical devices, saving many lives as well as billions of dollars annually.
Measuring Research Bureaucracy to Boost Scientific Efficiency and Innovation >>
Mandated publication would ensure all federal grants have outputs, whether hypotheses were supported or not, reducing repetition of ideas in future grant applications.
Research Lab Invigoration
A National Institute for High-Reward Research >>
A new line of funding like the National Institute for High-Reward Research (NIHRR) drive innovation and exploration by funding the potentially high-reward research that goes overlooked elsewhere.
Stuart Buck
Rebuild Corporate Research for a Stronger American Future >>
A vital component of a healthy research enterprise has been lost: corporate research labs, epitomized by the iconic Bell Labs of the 20th century. Such labs uniquely excelled at reverse translational research, where real-world utility and problem-rich environments served as powerful inspirations for fundamental learning and discovery.