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The Crisis in Science Funding and the Rise of Agentic AI
Across the United States and parts of Europe, science funding is facing a severe crisis. In the U.S., planned cuts totaling $18 billion to federal research have already led to the suspension of trials, mass layoffs, and the shutdown of entire programs. Europe is not faring much better, as Horizon, its premier research and innovation funding program, also faces significant rollbacks. These financial constraints are placing immense pressure on researchers, slowing down innovation at a time when it’s most needed.
Breakthroughs in areas like cancer treatment, rare diseases, and drug development require time, resources, and the freedom to explore. However, many scientists are now experiencing burnout, with a recent survey from Nature revealing that 75% of U.S.-based researchers are considering relocating. As China continues to increase its investment in artificial intelligence (AI), the U.S. and Europe risk falling behind during one of the most exciting eras in scientific discovery.
How Agentic AI Can Help Alleviate the Burden
Scientific research is inherently slow and expensive—not because of a lack of ideas, but due to outdated tools and inefficient systems. Knowledge is often scattered across siloed papers, fragmented datasets, and disconnected platforms. This makes it difficult for researchers to access and integrate information efficiently, leading to delays in promising discoveries. Here, AI has the potential to act as a true lab partner, streamlining the research process and enabling scientists to focus on what matters most.
Unlike the AI systems most people are familiar with, agentic AI can plan and execute tasks based on a single prompt. Scientists can use a suite of agents to handle repetitive and time-consuming work, such as writing reports, reviewing literature, or designing and running early-stage experiments. This allows them to dedicate more time to creative problem-solving and hypothesis generation.
Several tech companies and academic institutions are developing agentic AI to support this shift. For example, Owkin’s K Navigator, Google’s AI co-scientist, and Stanford’s Biomni are examples of tools that are helping scientists interact with their data more naturally. K Navigator, in particular, has shown the ability to boost productivity by up to 20 times, giving researchers more time to focus on groundbreaking discoveries.
Real-World Applications and Benefits
K Navigator exclusively accesses and analyzes spatial multiomic data from MOSAIC Window, a subset of the largest spatial omics dataset in oncology. This capability enables researchers to better understand how different cells function within the tumor micro-environment, advancing critical cancer research. By leveraging agentic AI, scientists can shape hypotheses, work with complex data, and uncover new insights without requiring constant guidance from data science teams.
This kind of acceleration can help researchers meet deadlines and explore scientific questions that might otherwise go unanswered. Many researchers express a growing need for tools that can help them maintain high standards while working with limited resources. In cancer centers and university labs, time is often the most scarce resource. Agentic AI, when integrated into real workflows, can reduce the friction that slows down scientific progress.
Balancing Efficiency and Ethics
It’s important to note that AI agents won’t replace critical thinking or peer review. However, with proper safeguards—such as accurate source referencing and intuitive data visualization—they can significantly reduce the administrative burden on scientists. This allows researchers to spend more time on tasks that directly impact patient care, such as developing treatments and diagnostics.
If budgets cannot be increased, the focus must shift to maximizing impact. This means equipping scientists with tools that enable them to do more with less, without risking burnout or hindering their progress. The current moment is crucial; if we fail to invest in these solutions, the consequences of underfunding science could be dire—lost cures, missed breakthroughs, and a generation of researchers who walk away from the field.
Thomas Clozel is cofounder and CEO of Owkin.
