Federal biotech commission urges an overhaul of research funding

Allison DeAngelis is the East Coast biotech and venture capital reporter at STAT, reporting where scientific ideas and money meet. She is also co-host of the weekly biotech podcast, The Readout Loud. You can reach Allison on Signal at AllisonDeAngelis.01.

A federal commission is calling for significant changes to the way the U.S. government funds and assesses scientific research. 

The proposal doesn’t focus on pumping much more money into research grants, which were put on the chopping block earlier this year when the U.S. DOGE Service cut spending across the federal government, including at the National Institutes of Health. Rather, a report released Tuesday by the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology calls for retooling the process of applying for federal research grants and better integrating data and AI tools. 

“The way that the federal government funds research has to evolve,” said scientist Michelle Rozo, who serves as vice chair of the commission.