The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) has launched a major downsizing to help it cope with a significant loss of federal funding since President Donald Trump took office.
The restructuring of the National Research Council (NRC), NASEM’s operating arm, could eliminate up to one-fifth of the roughly 60 top-level advisory boards that generate ideas for the society’s hallmark consensus reports, says Marcia McNutt, president of the National Academy of Sciences and NRC chair, and former editor-in-chief of Science. Although funding losses are forcing her hand, she sees an upside, saying a leaner NRC should be able to provide policymakers with faster and more relevant scientific advice.
“To be honest, I wanted to streamline the NRC as soon as I arrived at the academy 9 years ago,” says McNutt, who spoke with Science after NASEM issued a brief press release on 16 June announcing the planned reorganization. “But everything was going along just fine. Finally, we have the trigger to do this.”
