Telling the Story of Why Research Matters

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• Sara Bock - [email protected]

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To many Americans, academic research funded by the federal government typically exists in the background - embedded in cancer therapies, weather forecasting systems, earthquake safety standards and life-changing technologies they may never think twice about.

Then, suddenly, it became part of a much broader public conversation.

Beginning in early 2025, proposed federal funding cuts and debates over indirect cost reimbursement rates created growing uncertainty for research universities nationwide. At stake were not only scientific discoveries, but also the research infrastructure supported by those federal reimbursements - laboratories, compliance systems, technology, training programs and the next generation of scientists.

As universities across the country found themselves trying to explain not only how research is funded, but why it matters beyond labs and academic journals, the University of California San Diego launched Behind Every Breakthrough, a campuswide storytelling effort spearheaded by University Communications with strong support from Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla.

"Our Behind Every Breakthrough campaign reminds us that federal investment in UC San Diego's research turns curiosity into the innovations that enrich the daily lives of millions worldwide," said Khosla. "Supported by federal agency partners, our scholars translate discovery into the knowledge, technologies and talent that keep our nation globally competitive. It's essential for the public to be aware of how these breakthroughs shape our world, and every discovery we share is living proof of the longstanding partnership between our universities and our federal government that improves lives everywhere."

Launched in March 2025, the campaign sought to make the impact of federally funded research more visible and understandable to policymakers, media audiences, the campus community and the broader public.

"I think a lot of people know research universities do good work," said Chief Communications and Marketing Officer Matt Nagel. "I don't think they realize how much of that work has a direct impact on people's lives."

The effort also aimed to demystify how research funding works - including the often-misunderstood role of facilities and administrative costs, also referred to as indirect cost reimbursement, which help support the infrastructure behind scientific discovery. Beyond individual research projects, federal support helps sustain laboratories, maintain safety and compliance systems, support advanced computing and technology infrastructure and train future generations of scientists and innovators. At UC San Diego alone, federally funded research awards total roughly $900 million annually.

Throughout the campaign, stories spanned disciplines, audiences and formats. Some focused on stroke treatment, earthquake safety research, wildfire resilience and breakthrough discoveries throughout UC San Diego's history that reshaped medicine, national security and modern life. Others highlighted climate resilience efforts aimed at "future-proofing" the planet, collaborations helping power global environmental intelligence and the termination of federal humanities grants supporting UC San Diego scholars. Some stories centered on the personal consequences of research funding decisions, including the experiences of patients undergoing cancer treatments - a reminder that behind policy debates and budget discussions are people whose lives are directly impacted by scientific discovery.

Shared by elected officials, referenced in advocacy conversations and circulated widely across media and campus channels, the stories helped bring the public impact of federal research funding into clearer view.

Behind Every Breakthrough also marked a shift in how UC San Diego approached research storytelling. Researchers, students, patients and faculty members were encouraged to speak directly about how federally funded research shaped their work and lives, often through first-person videos and social media posts shared across university channels.

For some participants, the stakes were deeply personal.

In one Behind Every Breakthrough story, Kimberly Peters, a UC San Diego Health patient undergoing treatment for stage 4 uterine cancer, spoke publicly about her fears surrounding cuts to cancer research funding and clinical trials.

"The fact that we haven't cured cancer tells us we still need research," Peters said. "Patients are people. We're not a line item. Funding is desperately needed so that one day, we can all be survivors."

The campaign was shaped through close coordination with UC San Diego's federal government relations team, helping ensure stories aligned with broader advocacy conversations taking place in Washington, D.C. Several Behind Every Breakthrough stories and research themes also garnered attention from national media outlets, including The Washington Post, CNN, NBC News and WIRED, helping broaden public conversations around the impact of federally funded research.

Some stories quickly reached audiences far beyond campus. "8 UC San Diego Breakthroughs Powering a Safer, Stronger Nation," developed in partnership with the campus's federal government relations team, was shared on social media by U.S. Rep. Scott Peters - whose district includes the UC San Diego campus - and became one of the campaign's most widely circulated stories on Capitol Hill.

"These stories and videos gave our community a new way to voice their concerns and engage with policymakers in Washington, D.C.," said Natalie Alpert, executive director for federal government and research relations. "We know our most effective advocacy is done when we bring students, faculty and patients to Washington, D.C.; that can be difficult given our distance, so bringing these stories to life through Behind Every Breakthrough became the next best thing."

Throughout the year, the campaign expanded across 12 schools and numerous centers and institutes, generating more than 75 UC San Diego Today stories, nearly 300,000 story views, 1.5 million social media impressions and more than 540,000 video views. The effort relied entirely on existing staff resources and brought together communicators, researchers, videographers, social media teams and federal relations staff from across campus.

The campaign's impact extended beyond reach and engagement metrics. Campus leaders say it also helped reinforce the importance of connecting research to everyday life at a time when public understanding of higher education and federally funded science felt increasingly urgent.

"It was a completely authentic voice from those impacted," Nagel said. "People across campus stepped forward because they understood what was at stake, not just for research, but for the people and communities that research serves."

The funding debates that helped spark Behind Every Breakthrough continue today, and the campaign continues to inform broader campuswide storytelling - including the recently launched Always UC San Diego campaign - aimed at explaining how research shapes everyday life, often quietly, and often long before most people realize it.

In doing so, the stories helped make visible not only the discoveries themselves, but the vast network of people, infrastructure and public investment that make those breakthroughs possible.