On September 23, 2025, the White House Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Science and Technology Policy released Memorandum M-25-34, outlining the Administration’s Research and Development Budget Priorities for FY2027.
The memo sets five major priorities:
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Critical and emerging technologies (AI, quantum, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing)
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Energy and natural resources (nuclear, fusion, critical minerals, polar/ocean research)
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National security (hypersonics, AI-enabled ISR, resilient space systems, cyber resilience)
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Health and biotechnology (chronic disease, food security, biosecurity, biomanufacturing)
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Space dominance (exploration, architectures, propulsion, commercial partnerships)
It also outlines five cross-cutting actions to support these priorities: restoring Gold Standard Science, building the workforce of the future, expanding research infrastructure, revitalizing the S&T ecosystem, and focusing on high-value research efforts.
At National Defense Lab, we read this not only as a science policy directive but as a defense blueprint. AI-driven ISR, resilient space constellations, post-quantum cyber resilience, and biosecurity are not academic abstractions. They are essential to deterrence, resilience, and U.S. leadership in the face of whole-of-nation competition from China, Russia, and others.
Private industry will be critical. Companies like SkyFi, Maxar, and SpaceX embody the hybrid architectures that the FY2027 memo implicitly calls for: public-private integration in ISR, space dominance, and decision advantage.
Our new white paper, Focus Forward: National Defense, Emerging Technologies, and the FY2027 R&D Priorities, examines each domain through a national security lens, analyzes the risks of inaction, and provides recommendations for integrating commercial innovation with federal defense priorities.
The conclusion is clear: the FY2027 R&D memo is not merely policy; it is a national defense roadmap. The United States must move from memo to mission.
Downloads & Media:
Memorandum: OVERVIEW OF THE FY 2027 MEMORANDUM FY2027 R&D Priorities (Download)
White Paper: Focus Forward: National Defense, Emerging Technologies, and the FY2027 R&D Priorities (Download)
Listen Now: NDL Deepdive Podcast Episode 93 - Focus Forward: National Defense, Emerging Technologies, and the FY2027 R&D Priorities (Podcast)