In his first speech, White House science adviser stresses the importance of the private sector

In his first major speech since being sworn in, the leading scientist in the Trump administration emphasized the growing importance of private companies in basic research and downplayed the importance of the government’s investment in science.

White House science adviser Kelvin Droegemeier took the stage at the annual conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science to describe his vision of the nation’s research ecosystem as one that has changed dramatically since the end of World War II, when the government made a major push to fund basic scientific research.