--- title: The Best Partner for the Next President: Research Universities description: The nation and the world need the kind of discovery and imagination that U.S. universities nurture canonical: https://time.com/3949768/research-universities-partnership/ author: TIME article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-07-10T15:12:27.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:39:00.758Z article:section: Ideas og:title: The Best Partner for the Next President: Research Universities og:description: The nation and the world need the kind of discovery and imagination that U.S. universities nurture og:url: https://time.com/3949768/research-universities-partnership/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4632116b434943d3/69885a27e53aba296d4de85e/lab.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: lab.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Best Partner for the Next President: Research Universities twitter:description: The nation and the world need the kind of discovery and imagination that U.S. universities nurture twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4632116b434943d3/69885a27e53aba296d4de85e/lab.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Best Partner for the Next President: Research Universities by [Drew Gilpin Faust](https://time.com/author/drew-gilpin-faust/) and [Janet Napolitano](https://time.com/author/janet-napolitano/) Jul 10, 2015 3:12 PM UTC  Empty laboratory in electronics factory Empty laboratory in electronics factoryGetty Images by [Drew Gilpin Faust](https://time.com/author/drew-gilpin-faust/) and [Janet Napolitano](https://time.com/author/janet-napolitano/) Jul 10, 2015 3:12 PM UTC As we once again enter a presidential campaign cycle, candidates will face critical questions about our nation’s future: How will American competitiveness fare in a volatile, global economy? Can we broaden access to knowledge and learning that will close inequality gaps? Will we offer future generations of researchers a path here in the U.S.? Are we equipped to tackle urgent issues such as failing health systems, terrorism, and climate change? Answers to these questions will shape the lives and livelihoods of people across the country, and they will come, in part, from top research universities. As leaders of two such institutions, one public and the other private, we see every day the powerful outcomes of the search for new knowledge. Discovery is at the heart of what universities do. We bring together scholars and students who are eager to understand more about the world in which we live. They are curious and committed to asking difficult questions and to solving problems that seem insurmountable. The research undertaken today at universities, and tomorrow by the students we educate, can improve human lives in ways we cannot predict—or even imagine. Presidential candidates serious about leading this nation must have a concrete, far-reaching plan for keeping our research universities strong and preeminent. They should understand the importance of basic research, which becomes the foundation of innovation, and they should embrace the importance of educating America’s next generation of creators. We are calling for the renewal of an American compact: a partnership between government and our nation’s universities designed to strengthen our economy, increase access to knowledge, enhance individual prosperity, and address the great challenges of our time. For over half a century, the collaboration between universities and the federal government has been an engine of scientific discovery and extraordinary progress. It has resulted in medications and treatments for cancer, diabetes, influenza, and HIV; military equipment such as night vision goggles, lightweight body armor, and MREs; and the technology behind tablet computers, search algorithms, GPS, and long-lasting batteries. Yet that partnership is threatened by the erosion of federal support. The question for presidential candidates must be, therefore, not whether the government can afford to invest in research, but can it afford not to? Unfortunately, the trend of federal investment has been in the wrong direction, and we risk losing ground to those nations eager to stimulate their economies and replicate the historic impact of such funding. The pace of American investment in research and development as a percentage of GDP has slowed, placing us 10th behind OECD nations such as Germany and Japan. China, meanwhile, is projected to outspend the U.S. within the next decade. East Asia as a whole already does. The nation and the world need the kind of discovery and imagination that U.S. universities nurture. We need the knowledge and understanding that research generates—knowledge about energy and the environment, urban design, cancer immunotherapy, the inner workings of the human brain, and all of the other ambitious projects our faculty pursue. We need the economic vitality—the jobs and companies, creativity and culture—that comes from these ideas and discoveries. We need a field of presidential candidates determined not to risk the excellence of our intellectual capital. Universities represent an investment in the ideas and the people that will build our future, and collaboration with the federal government is essential to our collective success. Candidates who choose to renew and reinvigorate this longstanding partnership will be positioning the nation for a stronger, more vibrant future. _Drew Gilpin Faust is the 28th president of Harvard University_ _and the Lincoln Professor of History in Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences_ _; Janet Napolitano is the 20th president of the University of California system of 10 campuses, five medical centers and three affiliated national laboratories._ ### See the 2016 Candidates Looking Very Presidential  Sen. Ted Cruz is surrounded by stars and stripes at the 2014 Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. on September 26, 2014. Mark Peterson—Redux  Hillary Clinton Hillary Clinton gazes pensively into the distance at Iowa Senator Tom Harken'a annual Steak Fry in Indianola, Iowa on September 14, 2014. Brooks Kraft—Corbis for TIME  Jeb Bush Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush flashes a power watch before giving his keynote address at the National Summit on Education Reform in Washington on Nov. 20, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Bernie Sanders waves to supporters after officially announcing his candidacy for the U.S. presidency during an event at Waterfront Park in Burlington, Vermont, on May 26, 2015. Win McNamee—Getty Images  Chris Christie New Jersey Governor Chris Christie strikes a presidential power stance at the ceremony for the opening of the 206 bypass in Hillsborough, New Jersey on October 28, 2013. Mark Peterson—Redux  Former Hewlett-Packard Co Chief Executive Officer Carly Fiorina listens to her introduction from the side of the stage at the Freedom Summit in Des Moines, Iowa on Jan. 24, 2015. Jim Young—Reuters  Rand Paul Sen. Rand Paul works a crowd during a campaign stop on October 24, 2014 in McDonough, Georgia. Jessica McGowan—Getty Images  Rick Perry Texas Gov. Rick Perry looks powerfully patriotic during the National Anthem before an NCAA college football game on Nov. 27, 2014, in College Station, Texas. David J. Phillip—AP  Bobby Jindal Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal looks to the future during The Family Leadership Summit on Aug. 9, 2014, in Ames, Iowa. Charlie Neibergall—AP  Martin O'Malley Maryland Governor Martin OíMalley ponders decorating ideas in front of his possible future home on CBS's Face the Nation on Feb. 23, 2014. Chris Usher—AP  Marco Rubio Sen. Marco Rubio looks determined the morning after the State of the Union address in Washington, D.C. on January 29, 2014. Melissa Golden—Redux  Ben CarsonBen Carson at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference on March 8, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Jim Webb Retiring Sen. Jim Webb imitates the presidential wave during a rally in Virginia Beach, Va. on Sept. 27, 2012. Steve Helber—AP  John Kasich Ohio Gov. John Kasich practices his presidential victory pose at the Ohio Republican Party celebration on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014, in Columbus, Ohio. Tony Dejak—AP  Rick Santorum Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum looks resolute at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference on March 7, 2014. Brooks Kraft—Corbis  Scott Walker Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker practices the presidential point on March 3, 2014 in Milwaukee. Jeffrey Phelps—AP  Mike Huckabee Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee fine-tunes his presidential oratory at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference in National Harbor, Md. on March 7, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Lincoln Chafee, Former Rhode Island Governor, poses for a selfie with a student after announcing he will seek the Democratic nomination for president in Arlington, Va. on June 3, 2015. Jonathan Ernst—Reuters  Lindsey Graham Lindsey Graham announced his plans to join the 2016 presidential race. Alex Wong—Getty Images  George Pataki Former New York governor George Pataki listens to a question at the First in the Nation Republican Leadership Conference in Nashua, New Hampshire, in this April 17, 2015 file photo. 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