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On November 25, 2025, the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB) announced the publication of a discussion paper entitled "The Future of Science: A Playbook for Accelerating American Innovation." According to NSCEB, the paper is "the first in a series of fresh analyses" that NSCEB will publish following the publication of its final report and action plan for Congress in April 2025. The paper represents observations from NSCEB, drawn from consultations with a range of expert stakeholders, that may support future policy recommendations. NSCEB states that it "found clear warning signs that the United States is losing its innovation edge, not only in biotechnology but in science more broadly." The discussion paper focuses on three topics:
- Making the federal government a better partner in science and technology;
- Enabling autonomous scientific discovery; and
- Unlocking science across America.
According to NSCEB, the ideas in Executive Order (EO) 14363, "Launching the Genesis Mission," align with NSCEB's new analysis on autonomous scientific discovery, as well as recommendations from April 2025 regarding the need for:
- A Web of Biological Data (Recommendation 4.1a), a "comprehensive central biological data infrastructure that would serve as a single point of entry for accessing biological data, have built in security and access controls, and provide opportunities for advanced computation and analysis." NSCEB notes that this aligns with the "American Science and Security Platform" in Section 3 of the Genesis Mission EO; and
- U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Centers for Biotechnology and Grand Research Challenges (Recommendations 4.3a, b, c) that would unlock leap-ahead capabilities and inspire American innovators to pursue once-impossible goals. NSCEB states that this aligns with the Identification of National Science and Technology Challenges in Section 4 of the Genesis Mission EO, as well as Section 5(iv) regarding coordinated funding opportunities and prize competitions.
More information on NSCEB's April 2025 final report and action plan is available in our April 25, 2025, blog item.
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