The United States has long led global scientific research, thanks to its top-tier universities, research institutions, and substantial government investment in research and development (R&D). However, scientists caution that reductions in federal research funding under President Donald Trump could jeopardize this position, allowing China to take the lead.

Cassidy Claassen, Associate Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, explains that biomedical research in the US follows a cyclical system: the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funds universities to conduct research, leading to new discoveries and scientists, which then benefit private industries that, in turn, generate tax revenue to sustain government funding. Disruptions to this cycle could threaten America’s leadership in the field, he warns.

The NIH plays a critical role as the world’s largest financier of medical research, allocating approximately $48 billion annually to around 300,000 researchers across more than 2,500 institutions. In 2024 alone, it provided around $35 billion in grants. However, the Trump administration’s decision to freeze funding and lay off approximately 1,200 researchers—despite ongoing legal challenges—poses a significant risk to the nation’s scientific and technological dominance.

Claassen notes that the US leads in biomedical research due to strong governmental investment, both domestically and internationally. For instance, US researchers collaborate with institutions in countries supported by the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), facilitating cross-border research on HIV, tuberculosis, emerging infectious diseases, and non-communicable conditions like heart disease and cancer. A reduction in US funding for PEPFAR, he warns, could bring such research partnerships to a standstill.

Losing Ground to China

Since the end of World War II, the US has remained at the forefront of global scientific research, largely due to sustained government funding. Carole LaBonne, a Developmental and Stem Cell Biologist at Northwestern University, highlights that federal investment in science through agencies like the NIH and National Science Foundation (NSF) was instrumental in America's economic and technological boom in the 1950s and 1960s. This funding led to groundbreaking discoveries that fueled entire industries, such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and computing.

In 2021, the US invested $789.1 billion in R&D across various fields, including natural sciences, medicine, engineering, and technology. By 2022, this figure had surged to $885.6 billion. However, LaBonne warns that Trump’s funding cuts could undo decades of progress, potentially allowing China to overtake the US in scientific leadership.

“These funding reductions not only threaten America’s leadership in research but essentially hand over an advantage to China,” she says. “China understands that research is a key driver of economic prosperity, and it is heavily investing in this sector—something the US once recognised but appears to have forgotten.”

Jeremy Berg, a former director at the NIH, agrees that Trump's policies are aiding other nations, particularly China, in their efforts to surpass the US in scientific advancements. He points out that several countries, including Japan, France, the UK, and the Netherlands, are also increasing their research investments, further challenging America’s dominance.

Estimates indicate that China allocated nearly $500 billion to R&D, including medical research, in its push for innovation. Stuart Buck, executive director of the Good Science Project, stresses that any disruption to US research funding could have far-reaching consequences. “Blind cuts to scientific funding, rather than strategic reforms, will have major negative implications for the US as a global leader in science and academia,” he warns.

The Human Cost of Funding Cuts

Beyond economic and technological setbacks, cuts to federal research funding could have dire consequences for public health, cautions Arthur Reingold, an epidemiology professor at UC Berkeley School of Public Health. He explains that the impacts will be felt immediately and could last for decades, reducing America’s capacity to conduct crucial biomedical and scientific research, limiting the training of future scientists, and leading to job losses that devastate families.

Reingold, who co-directs the CDC-funded California Emerging Infections Program, warns that the US will also be less prepared to respond to public health threats at local, national, and international levels.

Buck highlights that budget cuts could leave academic laboratories struggling to cover costs, particularly those that rely on expensive equipment for research, such as laboratories conducting animal experiments or requiring high-powered microscopes.

Berg further warns that these cuts could trigger a brain drain, driving talented researchers to other countries where funding is more stable. "There is already a sense of demoralisation among scientists, and many are considering moving abroad to continue their work," he says.

LaBonne outlines three major consequences beyond the direct impact on biomedical research. First, slashing the NIH budget would severely damage the US biomedical research sector, with some of the consequences measured in human lives. Second, the economic impact would be significant, as NIH funding generates an estimated $92.89 billion in economic activity. Lastly, federal research funding is essential for training future scientists and innovators. University laboratories, which rely on these funds, not only drive new discoveries but also prepare the next generation of researchers for leadership roles in academia and industry.

The push to dismantle America’s research infrastructure, LaBonne argues, is deeply concerning. “It is far easier to destroy the US scientific research enterprise than it will be to rebuild it.”

Source: TRT World