GoKawiilNSF Shifts Grant Strategy Toward White House-Directed Research Priorities
The National Science Foundation announced plans to restructure its funding model, moving away from its traditional practice of soliciting proposals shaped by the scientific community toward a 'portfolio-based' system blending investigator-driven research with agency-directed initiatives tied to White House priorities. The change was outlined in a September 10 letter from acting director Brian Stone, though specifics on the new directed programs were not disclosed. NSF staff, speaking anonymously, worry the shift will further erode funding for curiosity-driven basic research that has defined the agency since 1950.