NSF grant changes raise alarm about commitment to basic research

NSF grant changes raise alarm about commitment to basic research

NSF changes raise alarm for basic science

Some scientists are worried because the National Science Foundation (NSF) has updated the guidance for its prestigious graduate-student fellowships to emphasize research in applied computational science. The NSF is the major US agency tasked with funding basic research. Critics fear that the focus on artificial intelligence, computationally intensive research and quantum information science will decrease money for fundamental science, which can struggle to attract funding from government and industry sources.

Nature | 6 min read