A hunch in a university lab becomes a cure in a hospital. An experiment becomes an industry. A theory becomes infrastructure. That’s not luck. It’s curiosity on a mission.
If you give curiosity room to run, it can change everything.
The United States became the world's leading technological power by backing bold science. Every major industry we lead — biotech, computing, aerospace — sprang from US scientists exploring big questions, sometimes years before the payoff was obvious. That’s a role played by university labs, where curiosity-driven research thrives. Private industry carries the ball once the path is clear to see.
In Washington today, however, we see this pipeline of future innovations coming under threat. Cuts to basic research funding have already forced hundreds of promising medical trials to stop1, ended critical research projects2, and blocked early-career scientists from launching their careers3. How long before the pipeline of discovery runs dry?
We all benefit from a healthy pipeline of discovery science. Read more about how.
Life-changing scientific insights and innovations come from university-based scientists who followed their curiosity, on a mission to know more. And what they found – through years of exploration – has come to change the world. That is what sustained public support for basic research makes possible: new knowledge that drives practical progress.
Can we detect cancer before it’s too late?
Health
Often undetected until it’s too late, ovarian cancer has a dismal survival rate. Angie Belcher has long been on a mission to change this reality.
Research that began with the study of sea snails has led to technology that lets surgeons detect tumors as small as half a millimeter. The secret? Viruses specifically engineered to help illuminate what might otherwise be missed.
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Can ancient ruins guide modern engineering?
Materials Science
Admir Masic aims to improve today’s infrastructure by developing multifunctional concrete — inspired, in part, by what the Romans achieved 2,000 years ago.
For centuries, scientists dismissed a strange detail in ancient Roman concrete. MIT's Admir Masic proved it was the secret to buildings that heal themselves.
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Photo: Commonwealth Fusion Systems
What can we learn from the sun?
Clean Energy
Zachary Hartwig is on a mission to deliver clean, safe, limitless energy.
What started as a course assignment is now set to become the world's first grid-scale fusion power plant in Richmond, Virginia — thanks to a remarkable breakthrough device that produces more energy than it consumes. Founded in 2018 as a spinout from MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center, Commonwealth Fusion Systems is leading the way in a thrilling race towards a brand-new power source.
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What if crops could fertilize themselves?
Agri-science
Chris Voigt is on a mission to create a win‑win for farmers and the communities that rely upon them – meaning all of us.
Today, as much as 50% of applied fertilizer goes unused by crops. The rest – the waste – becomes a pollutant. Pivot Bio has engineered a way to cut synthetic fertilizer use without sacrificing yield; and it’s already being used across millions of acres of American farmland.
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Is space running out of room?
Space
Richard Linares is working to ensure that satellites remain able to support our daily lives.
Space is more crowded than you think. MIT's Richard Linares is building the traffic-control systems that could keep it from becoming unusable.
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Is there a secret code between our bodies and nature?
Health
Canan Dagdeviren is developing biomedical technologies to track our bodies’ rhythms.
A wearable ultrasound patch. A sensor-embedded garment. MIT engineer Canan Dagdeviren is redesigning medical technology to move with the body — not against it.
Read the Story →The impact of scientific discovery touches every region of America — creating economic growth, high-quality jobs, competitive advantages, and a higher quality of life.
America's choice to invest in science in the past made all of this possible. There’s no reason that can't be our future too.
#1
The U.S. leads the world in scientific output — thanks to our nation’s longstanding public support for science4
$1.9T
Contribution to U.S. industrial output from inventions, patents, and startups arising from university research (1996-2020)5
6.5M+
American jobs supported by inventions, patents, and startups arising from university research (1996-2020)5
14.2M
Additional years of life gained by patients with cancer since 19806
We’ve come so far together. But scientists in your state are still chasing countless big questions. What they find may save our lives or our loved ones, power tomorrow’s cities, build tomorrow’s buildings, keep our nation safe, and feed us all.
New science starts with a question someone couldn't stop asking. What's yours?
Explore the research and discovery happening at universities across American right now.
