For Leaders, When Is it Time to Speak Out for Science?

We have all seen the headlines. Government-funded research projects for cancer and other chronic and infectious diseases that, until a few weeks ago, were the subjects of vigorous activity have been brought to a halt. Scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other government organizations have been banned from publishing their research. But that’s only part of the picture.

Government-sponsored, taxpayer-funded research ensures the health of our people and drives the health of our economy. The current policy of cuts and freezes puts both at risk.

For decades, Congress has provided strong, bipartisan support to research programs, not simply to help Americans stay healthy and live longer but to give American researchers, businesses, and other institutions a leg-up. This has meant that costly, labor-intensive scientific research doesn’t have to be completely shouldered through private funding.

It would seem that American businesses and institutions — in particular patient advocacy groups, the ambassadors of communities that benefit most from science that leads to innovations that can sustain and save lives – should want to vigorously defend government-backed research. But in today’s political climate, leaders are taking a “wait and see” approach. While this may appear prudent, now is not the time for complacency.

The old saying, “fail to prepare and you prepare to fail,” couldn’t be more timely. Patient advocates and other leaders need to act now to marshal facts about the essential benefits of government-funded science. They need to develop a strategy to express their expert points of view, identifying which topics they will speak out about and to whom, in order to be ready to assert their influence when the timing is right.

As new policies unfold, voices calling us back to this shared national interest are essential. Patient advocates and business leaders hold tremendous power – and responsibility – to help rally support for essential programs and remind decision makers of what’s really at stake. Here are three considerations, based on many years of guiding clients through successful thought leadership campaigns, that can help leaders plan their words and actions for maximum impact, even as they operate in a “watch and wait” environment.

1. Define What Is at Stake

Publicly funded research has saved many millions of American lives. Since 1969, the U.S. stroke mortality rate has decreased by 70%, largely due to NIH-funded research on treatments and prevention. The American Cancer Society estimates that 3.5 million lives were saved from 1991 to 2019 because of publicly funded advances. These are only two of many examples.

But if these very real impacts – which touch all of us – do not carry enough weight, consider that government subsidized research has also been a powerful driver for American businesses. Every dollar spent by the NIH in research funding in the fiscal year 2024 (FY24) generated $2.56 of economic activity, according to a new report, “NIH’s Role in Sustaining the U.S. Economy.” And those dollars enabled the development and production of penicillin and other life-saving antibiotics, antiretrovirals, Ozempic and other GLP-1s, polio and measles vaccines, and discoveries such as deciphering the human genetic code.

This taxpayer-funded investment has made American drug companies, med-tech, hospitals and biotech global powerhouses. In this way, the U.S. has led the world, both in innovation and economically.

2. Determine the Audience(s) You Want to Reach

If the last few weeks have proven anything, it is that local conversations can have national impact. And, it’s local economies that stand to benefit the most from publicly funded science. These communities and states will also suffer most acutely should funding continue to be withheld from research programs located in their communities.

A new study from the Association of American Universities found that in FY24, the NIH alone awarded $36.94 billion in extramural research funding to researchers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, funding that supported 407,782 jobs and produced $94.58 billion in new economic activity nationwide.

That is all balanced on a knife edge at the moment. These figures demonstrate that local communities and their lawmakers – state and federal congresspeople and senators – are the natural allies of research programs that depend on federal dollars. Such programs put businesses and people to work in fields ranging from construction and maintenance to food services and research and development.

By acting hyper-locally, targeting the vulnerable communities and representatives who are impacted most by current policy, thought leaders can start to move the country away from self-harm towards a restoration of prosperity and health.

3. Actively Monitor for Opportunity to Assert Leadership

While it’s clear what’s at stake and who stands to benefit or lose the most, evaluating the right time to act is more challenging. What’s becoming more apparent is that, as the impact of cuts and freezes begins to be felt more broadly by patients, employees of local businesses and local communities – then leaders’ words will have more resonance and impact. Thought leadership will have an increasing ability to rally support and change minds.

In many places, this is already beginning to happen. Conducting outreach in those communities at the moment when the administration’s cuts are affecting people’s income and businesses’ bottom lines most acutely, leadership voices can begin to have an impact. Drawing attention to the struggles our neighbors are facing, and calling for action based on people’s experiences, the evident economic impacts, and real public health needs will resonate. Determining the right moment to act will take careful monitoring of economic and health impacts within key communities across America and seizing the right moment.

If advocacy groups want to continue to protect and promote the rights of patients, they must prepare to speak out. If the organizations, health systems and companies of the American health ecosystem that have been blessed with the fruits of publicly funded research want to continue to stay competitive, their leaders must speak out. If the small businesses that rely on their employees’ health and customers’ wallets wish to stay competitive, they, too, must raise their voices. What’s at stake is the health of all Americans and our nation’s world-leading position as the “arsenal of health.”

The time is now for leaders to make their plans. Those who are ready to speak will be thought leaders—and those who do not will not be. American thought leaders must prepare to speak up, loudly and often, to guarantee the future of U.S. leadership and to help America remain healthy—physically and financially.