Trump unveils $5B Genesis Mission AI research grants as White House proposes major science overhaul
9 Sources
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White House rolls out AI funding -- and signals a new era for US science
It was a big week for science in the administration of US President Donald Trump. On Tuesday, the president's chief science adviser, Michael Kratsios, release a report called Science: A New Golden Age that proposes substantial changes to federally funded research. The next day saw him help to
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U.S. pledges $5 billion to boost AI in government-backed scientific research
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The tech-broification of American science has officially begun
The Trump administration unveiled the first "Genesis Mission" grants on Thursday, directing $5 billion toward hundreds of AI-driven science projects in an effort the White House has described as "comparable in urgency and ambition to the Manhattan Project." At roughly the same time, Trump's science
[4]
US to spend $5 billion on health, construction research powered by AI
WASHINGTON, July 22 (Reuters) - The U.S. will spend $5 billion to tackle long-standing scientific problems across multiple fields using AI, the Trump administration said in a statement on Wednesday. The agencies will use the funding to identify the root causes of chronic diseases, accelerate drug
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Trump Plan for 'Golden Age' of Science: More Money for A.I., Less for Universities
President Trump's science adviser told lawmakers on Wednesday that the Trump administration intended to drastically overhaul the country's approach to scientific research, including by shifting research funding away from universities toward individual researchers and private companies. At a House
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White House proposes largest science funding overhaul since 1945
The White House has proposed the largest rethinking of federal science funding in more than 80 years. The plan would move money away from universities and toward individual scientists, small research teams, and artificial intelligence. It reaches nearly every agency that pays for research in the
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White House wants to shift billions of dollars of research funding away from 'slow consensus peer review' and into individual scientists and AI
AI should be at the forefront of scientific research, White House says * The White House wants to reallocate hundreds of billions of dollar worth of federal funding away from universities and peer reviewed research panels * The funding would instead go to individual scientists and AI-native
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Trump administration says 15 agencies will get $5bn in 'AI for science' effort
Administration will also overhaul how US government funds federal research by supporting individual scientists and AI over universities The US will spend $5bn to tackle longstanding scientific problems across multiple fields using AI, the Trump administration said in a statement on Wednesday. The
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The Trump administration is revamping the era of the 'gentleman scientist.' It'll cost $200 billion | Fortune
The "Golden Age of Science" had no scientists. For nearly three centuries, discoverers like Darwin and Copernicus, still wrestling to break free from Greek thought, called themselves "natural philosophers." They made discoveries based on their own curiosity. The purest of them answered to no one:
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The Trump administration announced 278 winning projects from its Genesis Mission, pledging $5 billion for AI-powered research. At the same time, chief science adviser Michael Kratsios released a controversial plan to shift US science funding away from universities toward individual researchers, sparking debate about the future direction of American scientific enterprise.
Genesis Mission Announces First Wave of AI Research Winners
The Trump administration unveiled approximately 280 winning projects from its Genesis Mission at a summit on July 22, marking a significant push to integrate AI into government-backed scientific research
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. The initiative, which the White House described as "comparable in urgency and ambition to the Manhattan Project," attracted some 5,000 applications from teams across the country1
. Selected teams will receive nine-month grants ranging from $500,000 to $750,000 to apply AI to challenges including improving the US power grid, automating laboratories, and modeling algal growth for biofuel production1
.The $5 billion AI research commitment will draw funding from the National Science Foundation, NASA, and other federal agencies, according to Michael Kratsios, the White House's Science and Technology Advisor
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. Fifteen federal agencies will participate, including the Departments of Health and Human Services, Energy, Transportation, Defense, and Interior4
. The funding will support research awards, specialized scientific datasets, and access to the Department of Energy's supercomputers4
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Source: TechRadar
White House Proposes Dramatic Overhaul of Federal Research Funding
Concurrent with the Genesis Mission announcement, Kratsios released a report titled "Science: A New Golden Age" that proposes substantial changes to US science funding
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. The document calls for shifting support away from "legacy institutions" such as universities and toward individual scientists and private companies5
. This Trump plan for science would upend the system established after World War II by Vannevar Bush, whose 1945 report "Science, the Endless Frontier" created the framework where government funds basic research, universities conduct it, and private companies commercialize it3
.The report advocates for programs like "golden tickets," which give grant reviewers the ability to override colleagues' decisions to fund high-risk, high-reward proposals
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. Kratsios argues that US science is stagnating and told the House Science, Space and Technology committee that "our ability to make transformational breakthroughs here in the United States has slowed"5
. The administration intends to prioritize artificial intelligence, robotics, and nuclear energy while reducing focus on life sciences5
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Source: Scientific American
Technology Companies Join AI-Powered Research Initiative
Major technology companies are contributing resources to support AI in government research efforts. Microsoft announced it will donate $40 million in AI computing credits over three years
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. Google, OpenAI, and other tech firms are also providing millions of dollars in compute power, AI credits, and support to the initiative3
. The Genesis Mission projects span fields from drug discovery and biomedical science to energy, advanced materials, and robotics3
.Scientists will leverage the US government's vast datasets—including records about chemicals, critical minerals, and patient health—to train AI models and generate predictions
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. The Energy Department, which led this funding round, stated the project will unite national laboratories, industry, and academia to pursue "breakthroughs in energy dominance, discovery science, and national security"3
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Source: Earth.com
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Scientists and Lawmakers Express Concerns About New Direction
The proposals have triggered sharp criticism from researchers and Democratic lawmakers. Representative Zoe Lofgren told Kratsios: "You aren't launching us into 'the golden age of innovation'. You're sending us back to the Stone Age"
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. Carl Bergstrom, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Washington, wrote that the administration seems determined to "destroy" US universities1
.Researchers warn the vision treats public research more like a Silicon Valley startup than a public good, privileging measurable returns and speed over the slow, uncertain work that has produced consequential discoveries
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. Claes de Vreese, a professor of AI and society at the University of Amsterdam, cautioned: "You cannot use venture capital to force breakthroughs while virtually already selling the patent"3
.National Science Foundation Faces Budget Reallocations
Lawmakers questioned Kratsios about reports that the National Science Foundation plans to redirect approximately $500 million from grant-making divisions toward White House initiatives
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. Nature learned the NSF has pulled back $300 million from two divisions: mathematics and physical sciences, and computer and information science and engineering1
. Programme officers have withdrawn 150 proposals that already passed the peer-review process to free up money, with some proposals rescinded, others receiving funding cuts, and still others held until the next fiscal year1
.NSF staff members told Nature the money is likely going to a program called Grand Research Challenges, organized by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
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. When asked about nearly $1 billion in held up NSF grants, Kratsios said he wasn't aware of the details but argued the United States should "be more deliberative and specific about trying to tackle grand challenges"2
. Overall federal funding for scientific research is set to decline in 2027, even as White House AI funding increases2
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