This week: draft agency budgets published, NSF funding compromise proposed and call for animal-research support
In depth: The mooted introduction of a mandate for researchers to declare all foreign gifts has sparked concern among US research institutions.
Full story: US universities concerned over push to declare all foreign gifts
Also this week from Research Professional News
Prabhakar picked to lead Office of Science and Technology Policy—Former Darpa chief would be first woman and person of colour to lead OSTP
Academic patents have big impact on US economy, study finds—Licensing “contributed up to $1.9 trillion to US economy” over past 25 years
The narrow window—President Biden’s big international talk on tackling climate change contrasts with stagnating domestic progress
Here is the rest of the US news this week…
House makes progress on 2023 spending bills
The House Appropriations Committee has published draft fiscal year 2023 budgets for multiple agencies, with big increases in funding for research. The draft Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies funding bill, for example, proposes a budget of $85.7 billion—an increase of $7.6bn on current funding. The committee has also proposed multibillion-dollar increases in funding for the environment and defence. “Last year, we made unprecedented investments to fight the climate crisis, return science as the foundation for decision-making, dedicate the highest level of federal funding to the arts and humanities ever, and continue our commitment to tribal nations,” said Congresswoman and House appropriations subcommittee chair Chellie Pingree. “I am pleased that this bill will continue to build on those successes.”
FAS proposes compromise for NSF funding redistribution
Plans to redistribute National Science Foundation funding to ensure a more even geographical spread as part of the bipartisan innovation bill have not been well received by some researchers and universities, but the Federation of American Scientists may have a solution. Writing for the FAS science-policy blog, FAS associate director of R&D and advanced industry Matt Hourihan suggested that “compromise is achievable”, and laid out a plan for action that could increase funding for underfunded states without cutting funding for states that already receive a large share of NSF funding.
Congress urged to expand funding for animal research
The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology has joined various biomedical research organisations in asking the House Appropriations Committee to support animal research in its budget proposals. In particular, the organisations requested more funding from the National Institutes of Health to expand large animal foundational and translational research, as well as to ease a shortage of non-human primates for use in biomedical research. “Continued investments in animal research are essential for maintaining US scientific leadership, and improving the quality of life for humans and animals alike,” the group said.