Comment on FR Doc # 2026-12725 from Thomas Goddard
AnonymousOpposeIndividual
Summary: The commenter opposes the proposed NSF guidance, arguing that it will harm U.S. scientific leadership by requiring research to align with political priorities, blocking funding for open access publications, and restricting international collaborations with countries like China.
NSF funded research has made the United States the world leader in new technologies contributing immensely to the economic success of the country. This proposal destroys the very successful NSF. Here are a few of the destructive elements.
1) Guide 25 (page 197), requires reseach "align with political priorities". Politicians no almost nothing about science. That is why scientists decide what research is most promising.
2) Guide 12 (page 128), blocks grants from supporting open access publication costs. The whole value of science is that it gets disseminated widely after serious scientific review. Publication costs money and is part of the research and must be funded.
3) Guide 6 Section G (page 84), block collaborations with sanctioned countries such as China. This will make the US the backwater of science. Much of the world's ground-breaking science is done via collaboration, and China is currently the world leader in published scientific research.
Please retract this proposal and stop the destruction of United States science critical to our economic success.