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In 1950, Congress created the National Science Foundation (NSF) with a mandate: “to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; and to secure the national defense.” That last clause, embedded in NSF's DNA yet often overlooked, has never been more relevant than it is today.
NSF’s national security role is not abstract. Its funding for university and regional ecosystems has consistently supported scientific discoveries and understanding of technologies that underpin national security. Breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI), quantum, biotechnology, telecommunications, microelectronics, and cybersecurity—advanced through NSF grants—often take place decades before they appear in defense programs of record.
While commercial markets naturally focus on immediate applications, government-supported R&D provides the unique, long-term vision necessary to nurture foundational technologies before they are ready for the spotlight. Historically, many of our most transformative breakthroughs—including GPS and supercomputing—emerged from this dedicated process of exploration and refinement. By providing consistent, sustained funding, the government serves as a powerful catalyst for collaboration between universities and the private sector, creating a national asset that is vital to U.S. security and long-term prosperity.
Indeed, NSF has played a key role in the early development of leading U.S. technology companies. For example, Jason Kelly, the co-founder and CEO of Ginkgo Bioworks, has noted that NSF’s Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) played a vital role in Ginkgo Bioworks’ early years by providing essential startup funding and technical validation.
Nvidia has also drawn attention to the flywheel effect created by long-term academic and government partnerships in its own growth as a company. Through close collaboration with university researchers, mostly funded by the NSF, and national laboratories early on, Nvidia gained early exposure to the computational demands of machine learning, long before AI was mainstream.
Patent citations provide clear evidence of NSF’s impact on defense-relevant innovation. Between 2000 and 2022, 7,745 defense prime patents cited NSF research, including top DoD prime awardees such as IBM, Google, Microsoft, and Qualcomm, with IBM referencing such work in over 500 patents, Google in over 350, Microsoft in roughly 250, and Qualcomm in about 170.
These patents showcase a broad range of inventions in various sectors, including information technology, semiconductor, and other electronics (Apple, Google, General Electric, IBM, Intel, IBM, Microsoft, Qualcomm, WiTricity, Xerox), medical technology (Boston Scientific Scimed, MC10, Medtronic), and aerospace and defense (Boeing, Honeywell International, Lawrence Livermore National Security, Lockheed Martin, National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia).
In this new era of global economic and military competition, a robust NSF empowers the United States to lead at the frontier of discovery. Sustaining robust national investments in NSF ensures the U.S. continues to accelerate scientific progress, strengthening the foundational advantages that keep the nation resilient, competitive, and secure for generations to come.
Data visualization by Kharle Wu
The author would like to thank Logan Whitehair, Research Fellow with the National Defense Industrial Association, for his data analysis for this article.
