Chapter 01
Prioritize Biotechnology at the National Level
Chapter 01
introduction
Throughout much of its history, the United States has had an outsized impact on the world thanks to its role as an engine of innovation. From automobiles to medicine to nuclear energy to space, researchers in the United States have been at the forefront.
But in biotechnology, America is at risk of losing its edge. The U.S. government has not prioritized biotechnology as a strategic sector like it has semiconductors and artificial intelligence.
Instead, America has taken a piecemeal and uncoordinated approach to biotechnology policy and programs. This decentralized approach to biotechnology research and development (R&D) has its strengths, but it also comes with inherent weaknesses. Federal scientists and program managers pursue a wider range of biotechnology research projects that advance the mission of their specific department or agency, but because their efforts are disaggregated, the result is a confusing landscape of biotechnology research that inhibits potential interagency collaborations.
Moreover, the lack of effective coordination has resulted in a jumble of strategies, investments, and committees scattered across the federal government. Biotechnology research, regulation, manufacturing, workforce development, program management, and policymaking are treated as discrete issues rather than considered together, as they should be. This fragmented system is difficult for biotechnology innovators and policymakers to navigate, utterly opaque to the public, and detrimental to collaboration across the federal government, academia, and private industry.
This piecemeal approach is a strategic weakness.
The relationships among industry, academia, and government are critical to leadership in biotechnology. And in the United States, government is the weak link.
For now, the United States enjoys the global lead in biotechnology, but it cannot remain complacent. To secure its status, the country must abandon its reactive approach to biotechnology and adopt a proactive one. A new presidential administration in 2025, coupled with a growing sense of urgency among policymakers about technological competition with China, gives the U.S. government the opportunity to adopt a concerted strategy. That strategy should begin with openly and urgently making biotechnology a national priority.