Op-ed: What We Stand to Lose With Federal Cuts to Science Research Funding

a closeup of metal tubes and wires that are part of an ion beam accelerator.

UAlbany’s renowned Ion Beam Lab has developed unique capabilities for measurements, analyses and controlled modifications of materials using ion beams for more than 50 years. (Photo by Patrick Dodson)

ALBANY, N.Y. (May 21, 2025) — Cutting federal funding for research will have repercussions that could last for decades, UAlbany Vice President for Research and Economic Development Thenkurussi (Kesh) Kesavadas writes in an editorial published May 19 in the Times Union.

“What’s at stake is far greater than the quality of our hurricane forecasts, the speed with which we develop new treatments for diseases like muscular dystrophy or our ability to build next-generation robots that make surgery more precise. What made the American innovation engine the greatest in history is a singular three-way partnership among the federal government, academia and industry.”

Kesavadas goes on to explain that this three-way model, which began after World War II, brought academia, industry and government together to make more rapid advances in technology and scientific discovery. And as the U.S. begins to pull back from this model, China is stepping up collaborations with universities, challenging U.S. dominance in artificial intelligence, biotechnology and more, he writes.

“China witnessed the scientific powerhouse the U.S. became in the 20th century thanks to its investment in university research. Maintaining that edge is not a partisan end; it’s an economic imperative.”

You can read the full editorial on the Times Union’s website.