Politicizing science funding undermines public trust in science, academic freedom, and the unbiased generation of knowledge.
| Autor: | Efimov IR; McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States., Flier JS; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States., George RP; James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, United States., Krylov AI; Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States., Maroja LS; Department of Biology, Williams College, Williamstown, MA, United States., Schaletzky J; Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States., Tanzman J; Independent Consultant, Pasadena, CA, United States., Thompson A; Department of Mathematics, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States. |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Zdroj: | Frontiers in research metrics and analytics [Front Res Metr Anal] 2024 Jul 23; Vol. 9, pp. 1418065. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jul 23 (Print Publication: 2024). |
| DOI: | 10.3389/frma.2024.1418065 |
| Abstrakt: | This commentary documents how federal funding agencies are changing the criteria by which they distribute taxpayer money intended for scientific research. Increasingly, STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine) funding agencies are requiring applicants for funding to include a plan to advance DEI ("Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion") in their proposals and to dedicate a part of the research budget to its implementation. These mandates undermine the academic freedom of researchers and the unbiased generation of knowledge needed for a well-functioning democracy. Maintaining excellence in science is fundamental to the continuation of the U.S. as a global economic leader. Science provides a basis for solving important global challenges such as security, energy, climate, and health. Diverting funding from science into activities unrelated to the production of knowledge undermines science's ability to serve humankind. When funding agencies politicize science by using their power to further a particular ideological agenda, they contribute to public mistrust in science. Hijacking science funding to promote DEI is thus a threat to our society. Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. (Copyright © 2024 Efimov, Flier, George, Krylov, Maroja, Schaletzky, Tanzman and Thompson.) |
| Databáze: | MEDLINE |
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