This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: In a perspective article, Sergio Carbajo and colleagues call for a "Discovery Compact" in the face of the recent destabilization of the postwar compact for science, which reliably supported basic research for decades. The authors argue that restoring funding and predictability in science is not enough.
Science, the authors say, needs a new social contract, one with clear roles for government, research institutions, researchers and the public. The authors argue that science should be seen as public infrastructure, a shared good comprising the capacity to generate knowledge, train people, operate facilities, maintain data sets and standards, and respond to an unpredictable future. In practice, the authors call for predictable, multiyear funding with a view to preserving national research capacity, as well as pathways for scientific rigor in fields moving too fast for traditional peer review and support for the scientific workforce—including support for immigration of skilled workers and cross-training of scientists in ethics and the humanities.
Additionally, the authors call for a research translation policy that provides test beds, standards, manufacturing capacity, regulatory pathways and material procurement to move new discoveries toward application. Governments must provide anticipatory governance, scientific integrity, public accountability and resilience, the authors add. According to the authors, a strong national discovery compact can and should be the basis for international cooperation.
The perspective concludes with an invitation to begin the process of developing such a compact for the United States. Discovery as public infrastructure: Renewing the social contract for science, PNAS Nexus (2026). academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/art … 93/pnasnexus/pgag312 Swati Mestri holds a bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering and has worked as a content editor since 2019. She has experience editing research documents across technology, health care, and materials science, and has a particular interest in technology and space.
Full profile → Master's in physics with research experience. Long-time science news enthusiast. Plays key role in Science X's editorial success.
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