The document, released by the Council on Governmental Relations in August 2020, provides an in-depth analysis of the severe impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the United States’ research enterprise. Utilizing the Research Impact Metric (RIM) Model, the report quantifies significant research output losses—estimated between 20% and 40%—and financial disinvestment in the hundreds of millions of dollars per institution, potentially reaching tens of billions of dollars nationally. The paper emphasizes that such disruption not only threatens the nation’s historical leadership in research and innovation but also jeopardizes national security and economic stability.
Key challenges identified include the inability to complete original program goals, loss of entire research programs, reduced opportunities for collaboration, and the risk of losing a generation of prospective scientists, particularly among graduate and postdoctoral students, minorities, women, and other underrepresented groups. The “Pandemic Normal” has introduced unavoidable inefficiencies, such as extended project timelines and increased costs due to safety protocols, restricted lab access, and disrupted supply chains. The report advocates for a renewed and robust commitment by federal leaders and research institutions to invest in research capabilities, adapt regulations, and reconsider the research funding model to accommodate the new realities. Without immediate, sustained intervention, the report warns that the adverse effects on research productivity, workforce development, and global competitiveness will persist well beyond the resolution of the pandemic, fundamentally threatening the future of American innovation.
