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The 2027 agenda

Eight bounded questions open the 2027 science and engineering agenda. Each comes from a baseline finding, names the initiative that will carry it and the first output due in the 2027 science and engineering edition.

5 min read0 figures6 tables3 notesNR-SECTOR-SCIENCE-GLOBAL-2026-BASELINE

Contents
  1. ·Edition home
  2. ·Executive summary
  3. 1Science is where the frontier is made
  4. 2Key findings
  5. 3Systems and sectors at baseline
  6. 4Risks and capability
  7. 5Loss of trust in the research record during a fast-moving emergency
  8. 6Readings from the other desks
  9. 7The 2027 agenda
    1. 7.1 Questions for the operational series
    2. 7.2 Portfolio proposed for the Q1 2027 alignment
    3. 7.3 The pathway
    4. 7.4 Universe 2027: evidence pack for the science and engineering candidate mission
    5. 7.5 Handoffs and routing
    6. 7.6 Feeds and signal register
  10. 8Systems in depth
  11. AMethodology
  12. BData appendix
  13. CReferences and record
  14. ·Complete edition, for print

7.1Questions for the operational series

  1. F-01

    How would a loss of trust in the research record during a fast-moving emergency travel through health advice, markets and public debate?

    INI-GS15-INT-01 · research integrity signals; first output: concurrency analysis for four information channels.

  2. F-02

    Where do research capacity and compute concentrate, and which regions fall below any usable threshold?

    INI-GS15-CAP-02 · research capacity and compute atlas; first output: capacity table by regional group.

  3. F-03

    How much of the literature is open, replicated and reusable, by field?

    INI-GS15-OPN-03 · open data and replication; first output: field-level open and replication table.

  4. F-04

    Which large facilities have long lead times, single funders or single sites?

    INI-GS15-FAC-04 · large-facility register; first output: register of facilities with cost and schedule.

  5. F-05

    Where does dual-use life science research have governance in practice, not only in guidance?

    INI-GS15-BIO-05 · dual-use governance map; first output: instrument and practice overlay.

  6. F-06

    Which retraction and paper-mill signals can be read on a common basis across publishers?

    To be admitted in 2027; first output: data-sharing scoping note.

  7. F-07

    How do researcher mobility and visa rules change who can work at the frontier?

    To be admitted in 2027; first output: scoping note.

  8. F-08

    Which science capabilities have been tested in real shortfalls, and which are only planned?

    Science capability register; first output: rung evidence for 15 functions.

7.2Portfolio proposed for the Q1 2027 alignment

Five initiatives and one Universe mission candidate are proposed for the 2027 science and engineering portfolio. They are programme objects: no partner, funder or member is attached to them in this edition.

Table 7.1Objects proposed for the first operational quarter
IDObjectKindQuestionState
INI-GS15-INT-01Research integrity signalsInitiativeF-01PROPOSED
INI-GS15-CAP-02Research capacity and compute atlasInitiativeF-02PROPOSED
INI-GS15-OPN-03Open data and replicationInitiativeF-03PROPOSED
INI-GS15-FAC-04Large-facility registerInitiativeF-04PROPOSED
INI-GS15-BIO-05Dual-use governance mapInitiativeF-05PROPOSED
MSN-GS15-2027-01Trust shock in the research record Universe missionMissionF-01Candidate

7.3The pathway

The science and engineering edition reads national science chapters, regional research-capacity evidence and the global edition through one governed evidence graph. At baseline the federation is designed; the Canada and global science chapters are drafted. This page states what exists today and what comes next.

  1. 01

    National science chapters

    research system of each national edition

    DRAFTED · further national baselines

  2. 02

    Regional capacity evidence

    shared facilities, networks and funders

    PLANNED · regional Baseline Editions

  3. 03

    Science and engineering sector model

    the global research system of systems

    v0 SPECIFIED · v1 with federation evidence

  4. 04

    Global and strategic links

    GLB · SR-13 Strategic Technology Infrastructure and Sovereign Readiness · XT-02 Quantum Technologies · XT-07 HPC and Advanced Computing

    PLANNED · strategic and technology baselines

  5. 05

    Universe

    annual proving environment

    CANDIDATE MISSION · mandate in 2027

  6. 06

    Global Science and Engineering Frontier Report

    this series

    BASELINE DRAFT · 2027 annual edition

  7. 07

    Evidence and correction

    one graph, many projections

    OPEN · first correction cycle in 2027

7.4Universe 2027: evidence pack for the science and engineering candidate mission

  1. 01

    Mandate

  2. 02

    Core Build · 1 month

  3. 03

    Action · 1 week

  4. 04

    Evidence seal

  5. 05

    Portfolio correction

  6. 06

    Next mandate

Table 7.2Universe 2027: evidence pack for the science and engineering candidate mission
ItemRecordStateTiming
F1Annual mandate recordPLANNEDafter the Q2 2027 alignment
F2Core Build recordPLANNEDone month before the exercise
F3Exercise evidencePLANNEDduring the Action week
F4Decision packetsPLANNEDexercise state only
F5Proof receiptsPLANNEDscoped to each recorded check
F6After-action reportPLANNEDwithin one quarter
F7Upgrade docketPLANNEDrouted to the Portfolio
F8Portfolio renewalPLANNED2027 global annual edition
F9Public synthesisPLANNEDpublic-safe extracts only

Mission

ID
MSN-GS15-2027-01 · Trust shock in the research record Universe mission
Role spine
Leadership sponsor · Institutional anchor · Mission lead: drawn from national pathways
Receiving actors
to be identified with the mandate

7.5Handoffs and routing

Where the baseline’s findings go next. A handoff routes a finding for awareness, review or work; it transfers no authority.

Table 7.3Handoffs and routing
FindingRouted toPurposeClass
FIN-001 · R&D expenditurepublic recordreference for the 2027 seriesPUBLIC
DAT-003 · researcher densityINI-GS15-CAP-02research capacity and compute atlasPUBLIC
GOV-005 · retraction noticesINI-GS15-INT-01 · key F reviewresearch integrity signalsPUBLIC
AIC-006 · AI in scienceINI-GS15-OPN-03open data and replicationPUBLIC
INF-008 · exascale systemsINI-GS15-FAC-04large-facility registerPUBLIC
BIO-010 · data archivesINI-GS15-OPN-03open data and replicationPUBLIC
HLT-011 · dual-use frameworkINI-GS15-BIO-05dual-use governance mapPUBLIC
SYS-012 · compound pathwayMSN-GS15-2027-01Universe candidateCONSORTIUM
Table 7.4Routing rules by publication class
ClassWhere it goesWho can see it
PUBLICthe published edition and its evidence bundleanyone
CONSORTIUMgoverned rooms of the federationconsortium members under agreement
CONTROLLEDneed-to-know channelsnamed competent actors only

7.6Feeds and signal register

Table 7.5Feeds watched from 2027
FeedProducerLatencyFeeds into
Preprint submissionsarXivmonthlyDAT-003
Retraction notices and article countsCrossrefcontinuousGOV-005
Researchers and R&D intensityUNESCO Institute for StatisticsannualDAT-003
TOP500 listTOP500 projecttwice a yearINF-008
Structure archive holdingsRCSB Protein Data BankweeklyBIO-010
Occurrence recordsGBIFcontinuousBIO-010
AI Index dataStanford HAIannualAIC-006

Escalation routes

  • none · keep monitoring
  • research question
  • project
  • risk object
  • annual publication
  • signal report
Table 7.6Signals at baseline
IDSignalCorroborationSystemsRoute
SIG-GS15-001Retraction notices registered fell after the 2023 peak6CORROBORATEDGOV · DATresearch question F-01
SIG-GS15-002Five exascale systems on the TOP500 list4CORROBORATEDINF · AICinitiative F-02
SIG-GS15-003AI share of research output rising9PARTIALAIC · DATresearch question F-03

Notes

Numbers are the edition’s reference numbers, so a note reads the same in every chapter. The full list, with every source and its licence, is in Annex C. Annex C, references

  1. 6Crossref (ed.), Crossref REST API, work counts by type and publication year and counts of retraction notices (update-type filter), queried live on the access date. Crossref, Oxford. Counts are subject to later registration. Observation year 2025 (series 2015 to 2025). Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  2. 4TOP500 project (ed.), TOP500 list, 67th edition, June 2026 (release text read in full for the leading systems). TOP500, Prometeus GmbH. Observation year 2026. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  3. 9Stanford HAI (ed.), The 2026 AI Index Report, Chapter 5 Science, chapter page with its highlights. Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI, Stanford. Page read; the chapter PDF was not opened. Observation year 2025. Accessed 2026-11-03.back

Cite this chapter

Valadbaygi, S. (Ed.). (2026). Chapter 7: The 2027 agenda. In Nexus Global Science and Engineering Frontier Risk and Resilience Report 2026: Baseline Edition, The State of the World’s Science and Engineering Frontier. (Baseline Edition 2026, Report No. NR-SECTOR-SCIENCE-GLOBAL-2026-BASELINE) [Draft under review]. The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI).

Every citation form of the whole report, BibTeX and RIS included, is on the edition home. Cite this report

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