Private money cannot replace public funding of science

In a recent Science essay, Naomi Oreskes argues that private philanthropy and corporate investment cannot replace sustained federal funding for research. Drawing on U.S. history, she shows how public support built the long-term research infrastructure that serves a wide range of national needs, from national defense to environmental protection. Industry plays an important role, but profit incentives leave many essential areas underfunded. Oreskes concludes that only the federal government has the scale and mandate to fund science in the public interest over the long term.

Read more → https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aef2849