THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES, ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE
Policy and Global Affairs
Committee on Science, Engineering, Medicine, and Public Policy
Committee on Improving Regulatory Efficiency and Reducing Administrative Workload to Strengthen Competitiveness and Productivity of U.S. Research
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Congressional Briefing
Thursday, September 4, 2025 – 2:00 p.m.
via Zoom
on
Simplifying Research Regulations and Policies:
Optimizing American Science
This new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is in response to concerns that excessive, uncoordinated, and duplicative policies and regulations surrounding research are hampering progress and jeopardizing American scientific competitiveness. Estimates suggest the typical U.S. academic researcher spends more than 40 percent of their federally funded research time on administrative and regulatory matters, wasting intellectual capacity and taxpayer dollars. Although administrative and regulatory compliance work can be vital aspects of research, the time spent by researchers on such activities continues to increase because of a dramatic rise in regulations, policies, and requirements over time.
To better ensure that the research community is maximally productive while simultaneously ensuring the safety, accountability, security, and ethical conduct of publicly funded research, this report examines current federal research regulations. It identifies ways to improve regulatory processes and administrative tasks, reduce or eliminate unnecessary work, and modify and remove policies and regulations that have outlived their purpose while maintaining necessary and appropriate integrity, accountability, and oversight. Finally, it provides a roadmap for establishing a more agile and resource-effective regulatory framework for federally funded research.
This briefing was for members of Congress and congressional staff only. The report was publicly released on September 3, 2025 and can be found, in its entirety, on the Web site of the National Academies Press.