Think tank · Policy · Washington, DC · Est. 2022
The Institute for Progress (IFP) is a non-partisan Washington, D.C.-based think tank focused on innovation policy, working to “accelerate and shape the direction of scientific, technological, and industrial progress” in the United States. IFP describes its mission as policy entrepreneurship: producing research, providing technical assistance, and delivering policy advocacy aimed at shaping incentives and institutional practices across the U.S. science and technology ecosystem.
IFP organizes its work into multiple policy verticals. On its website, it highlights five main areas: Metascience (how to change incentives and institutions within science to produce more breakthrough research), High-Skilled Immigration (how to attract and retain top global talent), Biotechnology (policy aimed at preventing future pandemics and accelerating progress in the life sciences), Infrastructure (how to make it easier to build things in the world of atoms), and Emerging Technology (how to shape the frontier of technological development and deployment). IFP’s recently published research emphasizes concrete policy proposals and government process improvements, including responses to federal rulemaking and guidance efforts (e.g., immigration fee policy and federal financial assistance grant-process reforms), as well as policy frameworks intended to influence how agencies pick priorities, structure programs, and allocate resources.
Existing federal authorities could be used to double the current lead by the end of 2027
DHS’s $100k Fee on STEM OPT Would Break High-Skilled ImmigrationThe proposed fee would devastate America's most important pipeline for global talent
How the Permitting Deal WorksThe Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act is the most comprehensive permitting bill yet
Explaining the Proposed $103k H-1B FeeA Q&A on the legal basis and likely effects of USCIS’s proposal
Why Biotech Companies Go to Australia to Test New DrugsHow America can get promising drugs into human trials faster, at lower cost, and without sacrificing safety
Ambitious American Science Requires Reliable and Effective Federal FundingIFP’s comments on OMB’s proposed rule on Federal Financial Assistance
How Should the US Prepare for Increasingly Automated AI R&D?23 low-regret policy recommendations
The Success of the New Federal Housing Law Now Rests on States and LocalitiesBillions of dollars could flow to proactive jurisdictions that build more homes
Experience MattersAn implementer’s guide to Experience-Benchmarked prevailing wages for the US high-skilled immigration system
Science Agencies Need Metascience UnitsHow federal science agencies can cultivate breakthroughs by experimenting on themselves
IFP published a Q&A on USCIS’s proposed $103,265 additional fee for cap-subject H-1B petitions, describing likely economic effects and addressing the fee’s legal basis and fiscal-law concerns; it also notes the publication’s public-comment timeline.
Why Biotech Companies Go to Australia to Test New DrugsIFP published an analysis arguing that early-stage clinical trial initiation in Australia can be faster and at lower cost, and links this to the ability to reach Phase I more effectively without sacrificing safety.
Ambitious American Science Requires Reliable and Effective Federal FundingIFP published comments on an OMB proposed rule affecting federal financial assistance, arguing the proposal would destabilize federal financial assistance and degrade long-term planning for science.
How Should the US Prepare for Increasingly Automated AI R&D?IFP published a report laying out criteria and policy recommendations for how the U.S. could respond to increasing automation in AI R&D, framed around minimizing downside if risks are low and/or providing strong benefits if risks are real.
The Success of the New Federal Housing Law Now Rests on States and LocalitiesIFP published a policy piece assessing the implementation needs of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, focusing on how state and local reform decisions affect the flow of new federal funding to build more homes.
Experience MattersIFP published an implementer-focused guide on “Experience-Benchmarked prevailing wages” for the U.S. high-skilled immigration system.