15 years ago you could argue that venture capital wasn't funding enough advanced tech, so ideas were failing to cross the gap from pure research to commercial development. But lately there's capital available for quantum computers, fusion, synthetic bio, space exploration, asteroid mining, and lots more. The government is going to suck at funding the right things. They should leave tech transfer to private investors, and focus on funding pure science.
TimorousBestie 1 hours ago [-]
More or less a handout to the tech industry. This is just the STTR program with even less oversight and a questionable funding source.
Curious what the plan is when the academic pipeline for training researchers collapses entirely. AI all the things?
contemporary343 59 minutes ago [-]
I think it's also a way to reduce funding to universities (which are politically disfavored), since other things like arbitrary reductions to indirect costs didn't work. It also defies both congressional will in the appropriations bill (which is directorate-specific) and of course the whole charter and mandate of NSF, from Vannevar Bush's original case for it.
TimorousBestie 52 minutes ago [-]
Yeah, this is all well-attested.
It’s so weird. Presumably the conservatives still want the US to be a superpower, which presumably includes high-tech capabilities like global power projection, missile defense, and persistent space operations. At the same time they seemingly want a Cultural Revolution-like decimation of intellectuals.
I don’t see how they believe they can attain both objectives at once.
monknomo 27 minutes ago [-]
Nah, I think they've abandoned that, they want to live like kings even if it trashes the country. Putin's Russia style and all that.
hilariously 47 minutes ago [-]
Morons don't require intellectual consistency. Oligarchs know they are gutting America for the long term but don't care and so are happy to ride the gravy train until it falls apart.
tennfown 45 minutes ago [-]
> Oligarchs know they are gutting America for the long term but don't care
Simply put: it is better to rule in hell than to serve in heaven.
exe34 9 minutes ago [-]
> Presumably the conservatives still want the US to be a superpower
Why would you presume that? Isn't enough that they get rich and powerful as compared to others around them?
solid_fuel 39 minutes ago [-]
> Presumably the conservatives still want the US to be a superpower,
I used to think that too, but it seems evident the current crop of conservatives is only interested in hurting people they don’t like and funneling money into the pockets of oligarchs. It’s pretty evident now that none of this is being done out of patriotism or a genuine desire to improve America.
wahnfrieden 35 minutes ago [-]
It’s a political revenge move, there’s no strategy toward a better outcome such as AI (however questionable that would be) as that’s not the point of it
secretsatan 20 minutes ago [-]
It’s to repay the bribes
BenFranklin100 31 minutes ago [-]
Rest assured, this will likely come with no small amount of grift.
The Trump administration has already installed political appointees in America’s federal R&D organizations including the NIH and NSF. They have final say on funding decisions. These appointees override grant peer review and regular agency channels. It’s all part of Russel Vought/Project 2025’s unitary executive theory.
These NSF initiatives could well be the next logical step to channel millions of research funds to politically connected companies and organizations. Something similar happened with the recent Reflecting Pool fiasco where the federal contracts were give to Trump donors.
There’s no reason not to believe this will also happen to America’s federal R&D. Grift aside, there’s no reason either not to believe the funds will be given to Trump administration pet projects of dubious scientific value.
tennfown 30 minutes ago [-]
> Rest assured, this will likely come with no small amount of grift.
I naturally expect this money to go to tech companies who have time and time again proven their ability to innovate and thrive in the bleeding edge: basically Oracle.
srean 12 minutes ago [-]
I hope everyone gets it that it is sarcasm, painful as it is.
jagged-chisel 13 minutes ago [-]
Oracle innovate? This must be sarcasm.
Hikikomori 18 minutes ago [-]
>It’s all part of Russel Vought/Project 2025’s unitary executive theory
And its heavily inspired by the nazi Carl schmitt that created the legal foundation for Hitlers rule.
josefritzishere 44 minutes ago [-]
That's not suspicious or anything...
charcircuit 19 minutes ago [-]
Making an effort so that the tax payers are getting a return on their investment instead of letting it go up in smoke is a good thing.
defterGoose 5 minutes ago [-]
What a hilariously fact- and understanding-free piece of ragebait.
khalic 10 minutes ago [-]
Fundamental Science is responsible for most of the money being generated today, Einstein…
Rendered at 17:47:16 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) with Vercel.
Curious what the plan is when the academic pipeline for training researchers collapses entirely. AI all the things?
It’s so weird. Presumably the conservatives still want the US to be a superpower, which presumably includes high-tech capabilities like global power projection, missile defense, and persistent space operations. At the same time they seemingly want a Cultural Revolution-like decimation of intellectuals.
I don’t see how they believe they can attain both objectives at once.
Simply put: it is better to rule in hell than to serve in heaven.
Why would you presume that? Isn't enough that they get rich and powerful as compared to others around them?
I used to think that too, but it seems evident the current crop of conservatives is only interested in hurting people they don’t like and funneling money into the pockets of oligarchs. It’s pretty evident now that none of this is being done out of patriotism or a genuine desire to improve America.
The Trump administration has already installed political appointees in America’s federal R&D organizations including the NIH and NSF. They have final say on funding decisions. These appointees override grant peer review and regular agency channels. It’s all part of Russel Vought/Project 2025’s unitary executive theory.
These NSF initiatives could well be the next logical step to channel millions of research funds to politically connected companies and organizations. Something similar happened with the recent Reflecting Pool fiasco where the federal contracts were give to Trump donors.
There’s no reason not to believe this will also happen to America’s federal R&D. Grift aside, there’s no reason either not to believe the funds will be given to Trump administration pet projects of dubious scientific value.
I naturally expect this money to go to tech companies who have time and time again proven their ability to innovate and thrive in the bleeding edge: basically Oracle.
And its heavily inspired by the nazi Carl schmitt that created the legal foundation for Hitlers rule.