Good morning,
I had the honor of delivering the closing keynote at the Italian Association of Operations Research's 2025 International Conference on Optimization and Decision Science last week in Milan.
What struck me most was not simply the chance to speak and serve as an Ambassador for INFORMS, but the reason I was invited: AIRO wanted to hear how INFORMS built our advocacy platform, and how those lessons might translate to Italy, the EU, and beyond.
Before we formally launched our advocacy work 2018, INFORMS had little visibility in Washington. Policymakers didn't know us, our members' research wasn't informing national debates, and our expertise was largely invisible. We responded by building a proactive advocacy platform designed to make our field visible and relevant in U.S. federal policymaking.
Since then, INFORMS has built a trusted reputation and expanded the reach and impact of our members' expertise across a wide range of policy challenges in Congress and across presidential administrations. That transformation is why AIRO turned to us.
Italy's €200+ billion National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) and EU frameworks like Horizon Europe are filled with challenges tailor-made for operations research. The governance structure is different, but the opportunity is the same: use advocacy to connect OR expertise to public priorities, framed in values that resonate within the Italian and broader European contexts.
My message in Milan was straightforward: the path INFORMS has taken in the U.S. is adaptable elsewhere. Advocacy doesn't look identical in every setting, but the principles -- structure, intentionality, consistency, engaged members, and a commitment to linking technical insight with human impact -- remain the same.
Why It Matters for INFORMS Members
For INFORMS members, the takeaway is clear: what we've built is not just serving us in the U.S. It is becoming a reference point internationally. Our friends and colleagues in other countries see what we've accomplished with advocacy and view INFORMS as a model for what they can achieve in their own right.
While I had the privilege of speaking in Milan, the real credit for what we continue to accomplish goes to the hundreds of INFORMS members, our Board of Directors, and the Advocacy Governance Committee who have long supported and actively engaged in our advocacy activities.
AIRO's recognition of INFORMS as the standard-setter for advocacy in operations research is both an achievement and a challenge. Our task now is to keep pushing forward, knowing we have countless opportunities to continue working with policymakers to save lives, save money, and solve problems.
In Other News
Congress returned from its traditional August recess, facing a variety of issues in the weeks, with federal funding matters likely dominating the headlines in the days and weeks ahead. I'll keep you posted as to what we are seeing, particularly as it relates to FY2026 scientific funding.
In the meantime, you might find this article in today's Washington Post about math and science funding to be interesting:
The world's greatest mathematician avoided politics. Then Trump cut science funding.
As always, please let me know if you have any questions regarding happenings in Washington, or to learn more about how you can become involved in our advocacy activities.
Jeff
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Jeffrey M. Cohen, MBA
Chief Strategy Officer
INFORMS
jcohen@informs.orglinkedin.com/in/jmcsc
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