Supporting Science for the Long Haul

A post at Science Progress says it's time for the Obama administration to start planning for sustained, increased scientific research spending. A white paper released last year by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences says that the two most important areas that need more funding are early-career researchers and high-risk, high-reward research. Steps can be taken to remedy the situation even if the budget remains flat, they say. "Federal agencies should set up, or in some cases expand, programs that are devoted exclusively to funding early-career investigators and the most innovative, potentially transformative research. If the research budget increases, then these programs should be the first to get new funds. If budgets do not increase, then money needs to be shifted into these programs from other programs, projects, and centers," writes Rice University's Neal Lane and Leslie Berlowitz of AAAS.