Gold Standard Science at NSF

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is continuing to make changes to its longstanding programs and update its policies, largely at the direction of the White House. Despite being without a Senate confirmed director for more than a year, the transformation of NSF just since 2025 has been significant.

‘A New Golden Age’

Acting NSF Director Brian Stone issued a letter to the scientific community on September 10 outlining the agency’s planned research directions. For example, the letter states that NSF plans to announce a number of Grand Research Challenges in the coming weeks and other initiatives aligned with Administration priorities. The agency will also explore new and different funding mechanisms, such as “Golden Tickets” that would allow a single reviewer to champion a proposal without going through panel review.

Lawmakers, especially Democrats, have been critical of NSF’s actions to divert funding away from investigator-initiated research, for which NSF is known, to areas of priority to the President.

The top Democrat on the House Science Committee, Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), issued this statement in response to the letter:

“I do not know why Acting Director Brian Stone and OSTP Director Michael Kratsios believe they possess the authority to impose such radical changes at America’s premier scientific agency without congressional input or authorization. The Trump Administration has profoundly damaged NSF with its repeated attacks against the agency and the scientific community it was created to support. NSF needs to stop, take 10 steps back, and remember the values that made it the envy of the world for 75 years.”

The letter also announces that NSF will create an Office of Metascience to “develop and rigorously evaluate new approaches to funding, merit review, program management, and the adoption of merging tools.” It will be staffed by “metascience experts and data scientists.”

The success of some of NSF’s plans will hinge on the outcome of the November midterm elections; should one or both chambers switch to Democratic control, the agency is certain to face increased oversight and scrutiny of such activities.

Scientific Integrity

NSF released its revised Scientific Integrity Policy on September 1. Last year, federal agencies were directed through the Gold Standard Science Executive Order to update their policies. Among the updates, the EO directed agencies to revert their scientific integrity policies back to what was in place prior to the start of the Biden Administration.

Notably, the revised NSF policy (as well as those of other agencies) removes language from the Biden-era barring “political interference” in federally funded research. Prior to the revision the NSF policy “prohibit[ed] political interference or inappropriate influence on scientific activities and the use of scientific information.” It also stated that NSF “will not suppress, delay, or alter findings and products of scientific activities by NSF employees and other covered individuals for political purposes or influenced by special interests,” and that NSF staff may “communicate their scientific activities objectively” free from political interference. All of this language has been removed from the new policy.

This is the latest step by the Administration to assert authority over the funding decisions of federal science agencies, consistent with the OMB’s proposed rule that seeks to give political appointees review responsibilities over the funding of discretionary awards.