CDC’s “Science Agenda for COVID-19,” intended to guide the agency’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic over the next three years, describes the key areas of scientific inquiry related to COVID-19 that CDC and its partners will pursue. According to the agency, the goal of the agenda is to broaden the evidence base necessary for successful public health actions, guidance, and policy to reduce SARS-CoV-2 spread and eventually end the COVID-19 pandemic.

The agenda calls for CDC to continue to provide pandemic leadership and technical expertise, and identifies four main functions for the agency: employing health fundamentals, identifying and implementing public health interventions, developing evidence-based guides and policies, and communicating effectively to encourage protective behaviors and recommended actions. CDC intends the agenda to be flexible enough to respond to gaps in knowledge as they are identified.

The agenda is organized around six priority areas: COVID-19 detection, burden, and impact; transmission of SARS-CoV-2; natural history of SARS-CoV-2 infection; protection in healthcare and non-healthcare settings; prevention, mitigation, and intervention strategies; and social, behavioral, and communication science.

CDC concludes that "the complexities and uncertainties of the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic require a scientific approach that is purposeful, yet flexible," as well as capabilities and expertise that CDC, along with its international and domestic partners, can provide.