4 key science and tech challenges that will confront the next administration

This op-ed is part of a series exploring what a second term would look like for either President Biden or former President Trump.

Since the election three years ago, our nation has seen a riot at the Capitol that challenged our democratic foundation, COVID-19 and MPOX public health crises, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the horrors of the Hamas-Israel war. 

Also in that time, America has seen incredible technological advances. NASA’s DART mission smashed a rocket into an asteroid to destroy it. The largest and most powerful space telescope ever developed, the James Webb Space Telescope, was launched and has already discovered a distant active supermassive black hole in a galaxy that formed relatively early in the universe’s history. After decades of trying to generate the power of a star on Earth, the national labs produced energy from a nuclear fusion reaction, signaling a path to a new generation of clean energy.

Our approach to battling infectious disease has transformed with the success of mRNA vaccines. Brain cells grown in a lab learned to play the tennis-like video game Pong, sensing and responding to their environment. Powerful quantum processors, CRISPR trials for multiple diseases, hydrogen-powered trains and other recent STEM successes are catapulting us forward into a world of vast potential.

One year out from the 2024 election, it is time to start evaluating how the next administration will prioritize its science and innovation policies given the current political, global and technological landscape. With the momentum that has been building in the private sector and throughout federal government initiatives and agencies, there are four areas that are likely to rise to the top:

1) ensuring America’s lead in innovation and industrial competitiveness;

2) spearheading global security;

3) improving health outcomes for Americans of all socio-economic and geographic backgrounds;

4) advancing climate technology and infrastructure to better meet the climate crisis

U.S. GDP is about a quarter of global GDP, the largest share of any country. We pride ourselves on being unparalleled research, industrial and economic leaders. But our lead is no longer unthreatened. Since 2019, the United States has dropped significantly in competitiveness rankings, from in the top three to 10^th and 9^th place, with countries such as China, Singapore, Denmark, Ireland and Switzerland outranking us. 

One of the next administration’s highest priorities should be strengthening our long-term global competitiveness. Key policies to ensure future competitiveness must include:

1) building out infrastructure in biotechnology and biomanufacturing innovation for increased economic impact of the country’s bioeconomy;

2) advancing research and commercialization of lower cost and clean energy;

3) carrying forward efforts and investments such as the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 in critical technology areas of semiconductors, microelectronics and quantum information science;

4) harnessing the explosive potential of trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI) technologies while establishing regulatory standards for mitigating AI threats to truth, safety and democracy.

In the face of ongoing wars and a global pandemic highlighting how biothreats can devastate society and economies, a second critical priority for the next administration will be to lead on maintaining national and international security and resilience. The geopolitical environment and rapidly accelerating and accessible technology present evolving threats that must be tackled with national security technologies and capabilities. Agile response is needed to mitigate risks in the areas of biodefense, cybersecurity, manipulative misinformation and nuclear and chemical weapons. The federal government will need to leverage investments in research and development and behavioral and social sciences to strengthen the security and resilience of our critical infrastructure, ranging from public health to manufacturing to transportation to water.

Despite our justified pride in medical innovation, political and economic power, no country came close to losing as many of its citizens to the COVID pandemic as we did. Americans are more likely than citizens of any other high-income country to die from avoidable causes and at a younger age. It is a problem both parties have recognized worked on improving with investments such as the 21st Century Cures Act. This policy area will likely continue to be prioritized given its impact on all citizens, while also strengthening national competitiveness and security.

Preventive, early diagnostic and therapeutic progress is needed to mitigate threats from infectious diseases, heart disease, cancer, antimicrobial resistance and mental health. Progress in nutrition and therapies for rare diseases is also important. Most critically, there are significant challenges and failures to address in equitable public health and health care delivery and support across all states. 

July was the world’s hottest month on record. The oceans reached a new high temperature of 69.73°F, surpassing the last record seven years ago. Heat waves, floods, hurricanes and droughts are displacing people and ecosystems. The impact on sectors such as agriculture, energy and human health are estimated to cost 0.7 percent of GDP for every 1°F increase in temperature.

Tackling the climate crisis must involve government-wide, specifically presidential, initiative and prioritization. Investments will likely go into:

1) transforming energy so that we achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050;

2) enhancing research into climate technologies to better understand the changes to the Earth’s climate and its evolving risks to communities and infrastructure;

3) ensuring resilience and protecting biodiversity, economic and environmental justice, and public health.

Significant leadership and investment will also be necessary for implementation into buildings, transportation, industrial and agricultural sectors. Regardless of who wins the 2024 election, the next administration will have to evaluate how our country will navigate these four important areas of national STEM policy.

Ambika Bumb, PhD, served as President Biden’s deputy executive director of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Today she is deputy executive director at the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense.