Besides those science targets, the office under Droegemeier is trying to address the perception that too much is spent on research that is of marginal practical value, and concerns that valuable U.S. insights and innovations are routinely stolen and used by government industries in China and other countries. His office is also making sure that women, foreign-born students, and other groups don’t face unnecessary added burdens because of who they are, and reducing administrative complexity in an environment where paperwork requirements already eat up nearly half of academic researchers’ work time.