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Trottier Institute for Science and Public policy (TISPP) banner with greenhouse, colleagues speaking and the Թ downtown campus
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Rees Kassen on The Endless Frontier | Frontiers Policy Labs

Frontiers | Policy Labs banner
Published: 28 January 2026

January 14, 2026

Rees Kassen,Academic Director for Թ's new Sustainability Park and the director of TISPP. His article traces today’s tension around the post‑WWII “social contract” for publicly funded basic research (shaped by Vannevar Bush’s Science: The Endless Frontier). He argues the contract is straining as governments demand faster, more visible returns, even though long-run payoffs (like mRNA vaccines) show why basic research matters. It proposes updating the model through broader collaboration, clear outcome goals, and continued support for curiosity-driven research as essential, not optional.

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