 | |
| Abbreviation | IFP |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2022; 3 years ago (2022) |
| Type | Public policythink tank |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
Key people | Caleb Watney (Co-CEO) Alec Stapp (Co-CEO) |
| Staff | 17 Full Time Staff, 9 Non-resident Senior Fellows |
| Website | ifp |
TheInstitute for Progress, known simply asIFP, is aWashington, D.C.–based non-partisanthink tank that researches industrial, technological, and scientific progress.[1][2][3][4] Founded in 2022, IFP seeks to bring ideas fromprogress studies to policymakers.[4][5]
IFP is led by its two cofounders, Alec Stapp and Caleb Watney. According to their website they served both as policy directors at theProgressive Policy Institute and as fellows at theMercatus Center. They have master's degrees in economics fromGeorge Mason University.[6][7]
IFP's other staff include Director of Science PolicyHeidi Williams, Senior Immigration Fellow Jeremy Neufeld, Senior Innovation Economist Matt Clancy, and Senior Infrastructure Fellow Brian Potter.[8]
IFP also has a number of affiliated scholars and experts as senior fellows, including Pierre Azoulay fromMIT, Ina Ganguli fromUMass Amherst,Benjamin Jones fromNorthwestern University, building construction expert Brian Potter, Paul Niehaus fromUC San Diego, geneticist and biosecurity expert Nikki Teran, and Kyle Myers fromHarvard Business School.[8]
IFP engages in research and political advocacy in three key policy areas:metascience, high-skilled immigration, biosecurity, and emerging technology.[9][10][11][12][13] In an interview, cofounder Caleb Watney described the think tank's strategy, noting that on many issues, "there is a sweet spot in the middle between flying completely under the radar and trying to mount a loud, activist campaign. We agree with the 'Secret Congress' theory of modern DC policymaking, which says that the issues most likely to gain traction are often the ones that get talked about the least on cable news and stay off the front page of newspapers."[14]
IFP has promoted more experimentation and diversification in the way the U.S. federal government funds scientific research. Co-CEO Caleb Watney and Director of Science PolicyHeidi Williams have argued for a public biomedical innovation fund housed at theAdvanced Research Projects Agency for Health.[15] They have also proposed experimental funding mechanisms at theNational Institutes of Health.[15] IFP has published proposals to pilot new grantmaking processes at theNational Science Foundation[16] and to establish a new system ofNational Laboratory Schools.[17]
IFP has emphasized the importance of immigrants to American science and innovation. IFP's senior immigration fellow Jeremy Neufeld has proposed extending theOptional Practical Training period for international students and expandingO-1 visa eligibility.[18] Neufeld has advocated for reforms to increase foreign STEM talent in the US to compliment investments in semiconductor manufacturing by the CHIPS Act.[19] Neufeld has also advocated reforming theH-1B visa system to replace the lottery withmerit-based selection.[20]
IFP research inbiosecurity focuses on issues related to preventing and mitigating the harms from future pandemics as well as accelerating progress in thelife sciences. Senior biosecurity fellow Nikki Teran has expressed support for comprehensive biosecurity policy reform, including the PREVENT Pandemics Act, and has analyzed how spending in the bill compares to proposed spending in the American Pandemic Preparedness Plan.[21][22] She also criticized the federal government's response to the2022 Monkeypox outbreak, attributing a lack of effective vaccinations and treatments to administrative failures.[23]