New Publication: The New Gap in America’s R&D Funding Landscape

January 30, 2025


An Essay by

Melissa Flagg, PhD

The Andrew W. Marshall Foundation is pleased to present this second essay in a series by Melissa Flagg, PhD, that envisions a new role for the federal government in R&D funding.

We invite you, the reader, to read Melissa’s essay, raise your own questions, come to your own conclusions, and then, please share them with us. You can always reach us at info@andrewwmarshallfoundation.org. We hope you derive insights from her essay and the provocative questions it raises.

Over the past few years, as I’ve engaged with communities across America, I’ve become increasingly troubled by a fundamental disconnect in our scientific enterprise. While we continue to lead the world in research output and technological innovation, I’ve observed a growing gap between our tremendous research capabilities and the everyday challenges facing American communities. The system that Vannevar Bush envisioned – one that would harness science for the benefit of all citizens – has evolved into a binary ecosystem that prioritizes either pure scientific curiosity or market-driven solutions, leaving little room for addressing local and regional problems that don’t fit neatly into either category. 

This essay builds on my previous work examining Bush’s legacy, but shifts focus to a critical question: How can we bridge the gap between our nation’s impressive research capacity and the practical needs of American communities? The answer, I believe, lies not in abandoning Bush’s vision, but in applying his problem-solving approach to today’s context – creating new mechanisms to ensure our scientific enterprise serves all Americans, not just those pursuing profit or prestige. There are some great examples at the local level across the U.S. and Canada. Going forward, I hope to have the opportunity to collaborate with a few of these folks and bring some solutions to light. This may be a moment where the federal government has to fundamentally re-envision a new additional role in our S&T ecosystem.

Melissa Flagg, PhD, is an advisor for the Andrew W. Marshall Foundation and the founder and president of Flagg Consulting LLC. She is also a fellow at the Acquisition Innovation Research Center (AIRC), a visiting fellow at the Perry World House, on the Board of World Forest ID, and a senior advisor to the Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) at Georgetown University where she was previously a senior fellow. Previously, she served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research, responsible for policy and oversight of Defense Department science and technology programs. She has worked at the State Department, the Office of Naval Research, the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the Army Research Laboratory. Melissa has served on numerous boards including the National Academy of Sciences Air Force Studies Board and the Department of Commerce Emerging Technology Research Advisory Committee. She holds a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and a B.S. in Pharmacy.

The Andrew W. Marshall Foundation

January 2025