Trelysa Long

According to the National Science Foundation’s Survey of Earned Doctorates, the number of science and engineering research doctorates awarded by U.S. universities increased 13.6 percent, from 41,247 in 2015 to 46,876 in 2025.

Policymakers should withdraw the proposed $70,000 Optional Practical Training fee and pursue targeted reforms that address fraud without driving away the scientists and engineers the United States needs.

Research using the Real-Time Population Survey finds that more than 20 percent of workers use generative AI in four out of five detailed occupations. Yet, only one in six occupations has adoption above 70 percent.

Growing opposition to data centers threatens U.S. economic growth, with $260 billion in canceled investments in 2026 potentially costing more than 2 million jobs and $294 billion in economic activity. Policymakers should address local concerns without discouraging responsible data center development.

A recent study found that in 2025, 57 percent of the world’s top AI researchers received their undergraduate degrees in China, up from 46 percent in 2022.

For policymakers to bolster regional competitiveness in the global economy, they first must know where they stand. This report—coauthored by ITIF and the Institute for Competitiveness, India—benchmarks the 87 regions of India and the United States using 12 commonly available indicators of strength in the knowledge economy, globalization, and innovation capacity.

The United States could pour an estimated $10.3 trillion into the infrastructure needed to support artificial intelligence between 2025 and 2032.

Between 1996 and 2025, Bayh-Dole-enabled technology transfer from university and nonprofit research benefiting from federal funding contributed as much as $3.3 trillion to U.S. gross economic output, $1.7 trillion to gross domestic product, and 7.6 million job-years of employment.

The United States needs a strong domestic semiconductor manufacturing base to support economic growth, strengthen supply chains, and remain globally competitive. To sustain investment in new U.S. semiconductor facilities, policymakers should make the Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit permanent.

Between 2005 and 2024, Chinese firms received, on average, three to eight times more government support than firms based in OECD economies, even while using conservative estimates.

A 1 percentage point increase in an industry’s exposure to H-1B workers raises the long-run income of college-educated native workers in non-STEM occupations by about a 1.21 percent increase. In Computer Systems Design, the industry most exposed to H-1B immigration, this translates into an approximately 15 percent increase in long-run income for native non-STEM workers.

Firms that increased their investment in artificial intelligence experienced significantly faster productivity growth from 2018 to 2024, roughly one additional percentage point of productivity growth per year.

Watch now for an expert panel discussion on the growing challenge of retaining scientific talent in the United States. Panelists examined whether recent departures signal the beginning of a broader trend, what factors are driving scientists to leave, and which policies can help the United States retain top researchers and bolster innovation and economic competitiveness.