An Exploration of Science’s Social Contract

The science community is navigating one of the most consequential periods of change in decades. As long-standing assumptions about research funding, scientific expertise, and the institutions that support discovery are reshaped, understanding how we arrived at this moment can help inform what comes next.

To contribute to that conversation, the Dana Foundation has partnered with The Kavli Foundation and the Rita Allen Foundation to support a compilation of articles in Issues in Science and Technology, a quarterly magazine jointly published by the National Academy of Sciences and Arizona State University. Written by academic experts, engaged members of the public, and local, state, and national decisionmakers, the collection examines how longstanding norms in research funding and scientific governance have shifted and explores the forces driving those changes. By bringing together diverse perspectives on the changing policy landscape, the series presents strategies for strengthening the relationship between science and society in the years ahead.

The spring issue features two Dana-supported articles that begin to address these themes:

Merton Redux: Re-Confronting the Norms of Science in Democracy
How should scientific research be organized and supported to best serve society? Associate Professors of Sociology Natalie B. Aviles, Ph.D., and Janet Vertesi, Ph.D., compare competing models for how science is funded, governed, and evaluated, highlighting the importance of scientific independence, collaboration, and public trust.

A Science Funding System Beyond the Linear Model
In this essay, Professor of Philosophy Heather Douglas, Ph.D., argues that science funding should move beyond the traditional distinction between basic and applied research toward a framework that better reflects the diversity of scientific inquiry. Douglas proposes a new model for organizing and evaluating research investments, aligning funding, accountability, and public benefit more closely with society’s needs.

This grant is one of several projects the Dana Foundation is supporting in response to urgent needs across the science ecosystem. [Read about our support for STAT News.] Advancing our neuroscience and society mission requires public trust, credible communication, science-informed policymaking, and a strong research workforce. Understanding how long-standing systems for supporting and governing scientific research have evolved, is an important step toward strengthening the conditions for neuroscience to thrive and benefit society.