Big changes are on the horizon for federal research agencies following an executive order from President Trump. In an effort to bolster the integrity of science, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), under Director Michael Kratsios, issued new guidance on what they're calling "Gold Standard Science." What this means, in essence, is that agencies now have a mandate to focus heavily on principles like reproducibility, transparency, and peer review, as laid out in the recent White House announcement.
Federal research groups are required to assess, and publicly report on how they'll integrate these standards within two months. The aim, according to the OSTP, is to transform the conduct and management of federal science, from its foundational research stages to the way it's communicated to the public. Kratsios also suggests that this is more than just about keeping the U.S. on top of the global scientific community, it's also about rebuilding public trust in scientific findings and processes.
In the order, there's a clear call to enhance practices across a variety of disciplines and recognize efforts like disclosing conflicts of interests and valuing null results. The OSTP emphasizes the importance of incorporating these tenets not just within federal agencies but stretching out to include universities, journals, and the industry at large. The initiative reflects an ambitious approach to universalize rigorous, evidence-based science. “But federal agencies are only one part of our nation’s research ecosystem. American universities, scientific journals, industry and philanthropic leaders all have a crucial role in improving the overall quality of research, and we encourage this executive action to serve as a model for the entire scientific enterprise,” says Kratsios in the official statement.
The push for Gold Standard Science comes at a crucial time, with rapid tech advances and growing public scrutiny. Kratsios emphasizes that federal science must be trustworthy and uphold high ethical standards, highlighting that this effort goes beyond methods.
