- The Trump administration has expanded federal science investments
- Eleven industry partners back the Genesis Mission Consortium
- The 2026 FedCiv Summit will explore AI, federal shared services and more
The Trump administration has rolled out a package of science initiatives backed by more than $6 billion in commitments from federal agencies, companies, universities and philanthropic organizations.
As the Trump administration directs new federal and private investment into scientific computing and research, agency technology leaders are weighing how to modernize the systems that support their missions. The Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 FedCiv Summit on Oct. 29 will bring together federal technology officials to discuss artificial intelligence, federal shared services, AI-driven IT modernization, the General Services Administration’s OneGov strategy and more. Save your spot now to join the conversation.
The White House announced the initiatives Thursday at the Science: A New Golden Age Summit in Washington. The event builds on Science: A New Golden Age, a July report to President Donald Trump from Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
The initiatives aim to give researchers access to super intelligence, or SI, tools, support STEM students and early-career scientists, renew national scientific missions and establish new research institutions.
What Industry Commitments Are Part of the Science Initiatives?
Industry and philanthropic partners committed funding and computing resources to support federal research efforts. The commitments include:
- Eleven companies pledged $2.4 billion in SI tools for science and compute credits to the Genesis Mission Consortium, which supports more than 15 federal agencies working on National Science & Technology Challenges.
- NVIDIA committed $1 billion to the consortium, followed by AMD at $500 million and OpenAI at $200 million. Anthropic and Google each pledged $150 million; AMP and Emerald AI each committed $100 million; and Amazon Web Services, Armada, Crusoe and Micron each contributed $50 million.
- The X-Labs Consortium secured more than $310 million in industry and philanthropic funding to provide federally funded X-Labs teams with scientific instrumentation and facility space.
How Are Universities Expanding Scientific Computing Access?
Universities across several states are forming regional hubs to give researchers broader access to SI computing resources. The efforts include:
- Universities, industry and the state of Georgia committed $1 billion to scientific computing and related training for students and faculty.
- More than 14 universities in 10 states formed the Southeast Regional SI Computing Consortium to develop and share compute infrastructure for research.
- Five universities in North Carolina and South Carolina established a regional compute hub for SI-enabled research.
What Are the Agency-Led Science Initiatives?
The Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, NASA, the Department of War and other agencies introduced programs spanning SI, quantum computing, space exploration and STEM education. The initiatives include:
- DOE and NSF will invest more than $100 million in SI-enabled scientific instruments and autonomous laboratories.
- DOE identified eight Quantum Computing Priority Applications to guide its $215 million Quantum Genesis Q Competition, which will fund teams working to demonstrate fault-tolerant quantum computers.
- NSF opened two $33 million Grand Research Challenge prize competitions focused on Quantum+X applications and synthetic multicellularity.
- The National Institutes of Health, DOE and Biohub launched a $1.8 billion virtual biology initiative to build data and modeling capabilities for virtual cells in support of the Bio Genesis mission.
- NASA and DOE signed a memorandum of understanding to develop space nuclear power and fuels. The work covers Space Reactor-1, a nuclear-powered spacecraft to Mars expected to launch in 2028, and Lunar Reactor-1, a fission reactor for the lunar surface.
- The administration created the $100 million Genesis Mission Fellowship for accelerated four-year doctoral programs combining SI with another science or engineering field. NASA will support 10 fellows who will conduct research at agency laboratories.
- NSF introduced a six-year Integrated Bachelors-to-PhD program and revived its Young Scholars Program for students in grades three through 12 who demonstrate mathematics ability.
- DOE established the Battelle-Genesis Mission High School Fellowship to give advanced high school students research experience at DOE national laboratories.
- NIH launched Generation Discovery to bring 100 early-career scientists into its Intramural Research Program.
- NASA is establishing a metascience initiative within its Science Mission Directorate and broadening its use of dual anonymous peer review. NSF, DOE and DOW also launched metascience efforts, and NSF entered a metascience partnership with the United Kingdom Research and Innovation Metascience Unit.
- The Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering, or R&E, announced approximately $350 million in quantum computing initiatives and program updates to support national security.
- The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, will hold quantum application workshops starting before January 2027. It will host them with DOE’s Office of Science, the National Nuclear Security Administration and the Laboratory for Physical Sciences.
- DARPA moved four prospective quantum computing providers to Stage C of its Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, representing about $200 million in new funding.
- DOW’s Office of Strategic Capital extended an approximately $150 million conditional loan commitment to PsiQuantum to support domestic manufacturing and prototyping.
What Did OSTP, NASA & DOW Leaders Say About the Science Initiatives?
Kratsios, a two-time Wash100 awardee, said the initiatives will direct significant funding toward new opportunities across the science ecosystem.
“The efforts announced today will channel billions of dollars across our science ecosystem to realize the new scientific opportunities that now exist,” said Kratsios.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, a 2026 Wash100 honoree, said the agency is creating opportunities for research, testing new ways to evaluate ideas and investing in future researchers through the Genesis Mission Fellowships.
“We are entering a new Golden Age of American innovation and discovery, and NASA will be at the forefront,” Isaacman added.
Emil Michael, under secretary of war for research and engineering and a 2026 Wash100 Award recipient, said quantum information science is a priority for both the president and DOW.
“Maintaining American leadership in this field is essential to preserving our technological edge, and R&E is uniquely positioned to drive the innovation needed across academia and industry,” Michael noted.
