Viewpoint From Our Founding Director
By Don Ingber
On April 11, we at the Wyss Institute welcomed more than 550 researchers, industry leaders, physicians, and entrepreneurs to our Annual Retreat in which we shared the amazing progress our community has made in the development of new bioinspired diagnostics, devices, and therapeutics for both human and planetary health. In my opening talk, I discussed the challenging times in which we live, the distressing news we hear day after day, and how we have learned that it is easier to destroy than to create. However, we are a community of creators who are dedicated to advancing science and technology development in order to change people’s lives for the better. We shared the day in celebration of the amazing discoveries and inventions our scientists and engineers have created over the past year and discussed how we are committed to the future of scientific discovery despite any obstacles that are placed in our way.
When we learned that Harvard University made the bold decision to reject the administration’s unprecedented demands that would require it to relinquish its independence and severely constrain academic freedom, we could not have been prouder. Harvard is a complicated place and we are not perfect, but the pursuit of academic and scientific freedom must be protected.
At the Wyss Retreat, I warned that we would be hit hard by some of the waves that are generated by this storm and this has become a reality. On April 14, the Institute received Stop Work Orders on three government contracts that represent more than $20 million in total costs. This hurts because it impacts so many of our young people who work in the trenches day and night to bring forth innovations to make our world better for all, and because these potential life-saving advances have been stopped in their tracks. But this will not stop us. We will not cease to pursue our mission, and will continue to support our scientists, engineers, and staff members who have devoted themselves to saving the lives of others and the world in which we live.
It is essential that we continue to support the groundbreaking research that transpires every day at the Wyss because we are coming up with solutions that are sorely needed. We will continue to confront these challenges, ride these waves of change, and weather this storm together. But this is only the beginning. To make it through to the other side, we will need help and support from everyone who believes in the importance of protecting every individual’s right to pursue science and knowledge free of political constraints.
