Community & Member Engagement
The Importance of University Based Research and Why It is Worth Saving
Part 2: Brief History of the Research Enterprise in the U.S.
Read Part 1: The Importance of University Based Research and Why It is Worth Saving | Part 1: Why Are We Doing All of This? Why Does Research Matter?
University-based, federally-supported research that pushes the envelope of innovation and discovery has established the United States as an economic and world power, especially since World War II. These investments are crucial for U.S. universities and the public good. Research administrator professionals are ready to help in this endless frontier.
In our continuation of this series, we explore how universities became such an important part of our country’s research ecosystem and the origins of the long-standing partnership between higher education and the federal government that has made America an economic powerhouse and leader in innovation. After all, the National Science Foundation gave us Google.
World War II
During World War II, shortly after the fall of France, leaders began to realize that the U.S. would be drawn into the war and would need to innovate quickly to stand a chance at winning. These leaders included university presidents from MIT, Harvard, and the Carnegie Institute, who recognized that university researchers could be mobilized to conduct basic research to aid in wartime efforts. President Roosevelt was convinced to set aside part of the federal discretionary budget to create the Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD) to oversee the country’s research efforts—both scientifically and administratively.
Vannevar Bush, then President of the Carnegie Institute, led the OSRD. His vision and understanding that the integration of research and education was paramount to a strong society set the framework for the research partnership and structure for administering it in motion. Until this time, research at universities was primarily supported by the institution or through private donations and Germany was considered the world leader in science. Faculty typically managed their own research funds.
We are still benefiting from wartime innovations today. The commercial microwave stemmed from improved radar technology that some say was the greatest asset in winning the war. The ability to mass produce penicillin during the War has shaped public health as we know it today by making previously deadly infections more treatable.
Indeed, Vannevar Bush understood that public investment in research was an inherent public good. By acknowledging research management in his vision, he also recognized the need for safe stewardship of the investment.
The Endless Frontier
Bush authored Science, the Endless Frontier, highlighting the importance of scientific research for national security and economic well-being, advocating for government support and centralized funding, all ultimately leading to the creation of the National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSF has been the largest funder of fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering and shaped what we know today of modern U.S. science policy. A unique component of the NSF mission is the prioritization of both fundamental research and research education, acknowledging the importance of science in public education to a strong educated and future research workforce.
The world order post-World War II created an era of competition for dominance and decades of Cold War diplomacy leading to not only an arms race but also a race for scientific discovery and economic dominance. This period saw an expansion in higher education access, attendance, and research and development, a large portion of which was funded by federal appropriations and support. Federal support for research and technological advances of the 1960s and 1970s culminated in 1980 with the passage of the influential and impactful Bayh-Dole Act, which allowed universities to retain title to inventions resulting from federal funding and allowed patenting, licensing, and commercialization efforts to flourish bringing university discoveries to the market and the public. Today, industry patents rely on public science, routinely citing papers authored by academic, governmental and other public institutions.
Today, the federal government includes dozens of research agencies where investments continue to lead to innovations that improve our lives. The Science Coalition’s Sparking Economic Growth illustrates numerous current day innovations stemming from federal university research programs that span new technologies to improve and assess concussive forces that can lead to traumatic brain injuries used for first responders to reducing harmful noise levels in neonatal intensive care units.
Federally supported, university-based research that pushes the envelope of innovation continues to be vital for national security and economic development much like Vannevar Bush described post- World War II. The future is now with artificial intelligence and other technologies that will continue to be developed; universities should be front and center as these discoveries occur and change in real time.
Just as university research activities have greatly expanded since World War II, so too has the need to manage the research enterprise. In lock step, the need for research administrators has expanded while professionalization of the field is more important than ever. The last article in this series will build on the growing field of research administration and the indispensable value of research administrators in supporting the advancement of new knowledge as a public good.
References
Association of American Universities. (2025) Google, It Began with An NSF Grant [Infographic] AAU.edu. Why University Research Matters | Association of American Universities (AAU)
The National World War II Museum New Orleans. Kristin Burton, PhD. Contributing Author. The Scientific and Technological Advances of World War II. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/scientific-and-technological-advances-world-war-ii
Association of University Technology Managers (2025). Advocacy Efforts for Tech Transfer | AUTM
Francis Narin, Kimberly S. Hamilton, Dominic Olivastro (1997). The increasing linkage between U.S. technology and public science. The increasing linkage between U.S. technology and public science - ScienceDirect
The Science Coalition (2025). Sparking American Economic Growth - The Science Coalition
Authored by: