Aligning Incentives to the Future of Science

The systems that shape academic careers have not kept pace with evolving expectations for science. As ethical and societal challenges at the intersection of science and society continue to grow, they demand a more open, collaborative, and responsive approach—one shaped not only by scientific curiosity, but by purposeful engagement with communities and attention to real-world impact. Yet, hiring, promotion, and tenure decisions continue to prioritize traditional metrics: publications, grant funding, and individual achievement.

These metrics are, at best, proxies for excellence. Too often, they fail to capture the contributions now essential to advancing science in more responsive and socially attuned ways. And when the incentives structures that define success do not reward interdisciplinary collaboration, community engagement, or contributions to public understanding, those efforts become harder to sustain. Over time, this misalignment reinforces a gap between what science increasingly requires and what it formally values.

Historically, this disconnect has been difficult to address. While cultures may evolve, the structures that govern evaluation have remained largely unchanged. Many institutions have recognized the need for reform, but the lack of clear pathways to translate that recognition into practice has slowed progress. Support, coordination, and resources were available to address intent but not to drive implementation.

This is where philanthropy can play a catalytic role. By enabling the rapid development of a robust, scalable evidence base, lowering barriers to adoption, and accelerating durable change, funders can help propel a shift from idea to practice.

MA3: Accelerating Progress

The Dana Foundation alongside the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Rita Allen Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently supported the Modernizing Academic Appointment and Advancement (MA3) Challenge, an initiative led by the Open Research Community Accelerator in partnership with the Aspen Institute Science & Society Program and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. MA3 is designed to shift attention to the underlying systems of science, rather than only its outputs, by supporting universities as they rethink their incentive structures.

The response to this effort has been telling. Nearly 200 institutions submitted formal expressions of interest, many with senior leadership support. The applicant pool itself reflects the breadth of momentum for change: Three in ten schools fall outside the Carnegie R1 classification, a third are minority-serving institutions, and all regions of the United States are represented. The proposals spanned a wide range of priorities, including community engagement, public impact scholarship, open science, collaboration, mentoring, research translation, and interdisciplinary work.

From this group, six institutions were selected in the initial phase to test new approaches to hiring, promotion, and tenure that reward cross-disciplinary collaboration, public engagement, and contributions to the broader research ecosystems—areas that have been long undervalued in academia. These institutions aim to generate new practical models that others can adapt across a range of institutional contexts.

This kind of experimentation is essential. Without concrete examples, even well-supported ideas for reform risk remaining theoretical.

Leaning In to Unlock Systems Change

The MA3 community of practice will generate tools, frameworks, and lessons for the broader research and innovation sector. But these resources alone will not be sufficient to drive systemic change that spans higher education. Additional strategic funding will ensure these insights are disseminated, adapted, and scaled across diverse institution types. These catalytic models can reorient academic science away from a primary focus on publication and toward a culture that prioritizes discovery, fosters innovation, and delivers meaningful benefits to the public.

Now is the moment for additional philanthropic funders to build on the foundation laid through the MA3 initiative and other recent efforts. The Open Research Community Accelerator (ORCA) is seeking to raise $7 million from a coalition of philanthropies. These funds will support two additional rounds, one in late 2026 and another in late 2028. For organizations committed to advancing science, this is not simply a question of academic reform. It is an investment in the future of the research enterprise, where incentives can drive stronger, more resilient science and deeper engagement. Aligning what we reward with what we value is one of the most powerful levers for change. As science culture and practice continues to evolve, ensuring that our systems of evaluation evolve alongside it will be essential.