Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
Erich Bloch, for six years director of the US National Science Foundation, has delivered his parting words. It seems that the new director can expect ever harder decisions, especially in areas where science and industrial policy collide.
