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 and on accelerating the scientific, technological, and industrial progress that can expand U.S. capacity to build and discover. IFP describes its work as research plus advocacy/technical engagement with policymakers across the political spectrum, organized around multiple policy verticals including Metascience, High-Skilled Immigration, Biotechnology, Infrastructure, and Emerging Technology.
IFP also runs initiative-style platforms intended to turn policy-relevant themes into concrete project plans—most notably The Launch Sequence, which publishes AI-for-science-and-security “moonshot” project ideas and has a rolling request-for-proposals process for turning selected proposals into funded project plans and honoree/catalyst mechanisms. In 2026, IFP’s most visible outputs include issue-area policy reports and official comments/recommendations on government rulemaking and agency actions, alongside project-packaging efforts designed to connect ideas to implementing funders and teams.
A 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
Picking the Right Challenges for Genesis MissionThe Department of Energy should select specific priority areas when applying AI to R&D
Reforming Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation ActHow Section 106 Works, How It Doesn’t, and Promising Reforms
Stop Paying More for Less TransitFifteen ideas to bring costs down and speed projects up
IFP describes its position on a proposed OMB rule affecting federal financial assistance and argues that the rule’s changes would undermine long-term strategic science planning and increase burdens on awardees.
A Speed-for-Security Bargain for AI Data Centers (FERC can accelerate interconnection and harden the grid)IFP argues that FERC should accelerate large-load interconnection reform while strengthening security to support AI data center buildout and reduce grid risk.
How to Secure the DNA Supply Chain (field guide for policymakers, founders, and funders)IFP publishes a biosecurity field guide focused on governance and operational recommendations intended to keep DNA synthesis available for legitimate use while reducing the risk of misuse.
What Will It Cost for the US to Be Ready for the Next Big AI Breakthrough? (Estimating the resources CAISI needs for AI readiness)IFP estimates the funding level needed to resource CAISI for AI readiness tasks described under an AI action plan, and proposes both congressional and executive funding channels to close a stated gap.
Request for Proposals: The Launch Sequence (rolling effort to find, scope, and build AI-for-science-and-security projects)IFP describes how proposals are selected and developed into concrete project plans, and lists an advisor panel for the initiative.
The Launch Sequence (overview of AI project-planning collection and selected “calls to discovery”)IFP presents the initiative’s framing, including its goals for accelerating science and security, and describes how the collection is structured around projects.