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US news roundup: 27 May to 2 June

     

This week: access to federally funded research data, US-China links and $1.5 billion for diversity

In depth: A national task force on artificial intelligence research has offered the first glimpse of its vision to expand access to the resources needed to advance R&D in the field.

Full story: Federal task force unveils plan to democratise AI research
  



Also this week from Research Professional News

Federation of American Scientists seeks to shape R&D spending—Group sets up Impetus Institute in effort to influence federal R&D investment
 


 
Here is the rest of the US news this week… 

OSTP aims to open up federally funded research data

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy has published a guide outlining how federal agencies can improve public access to federally funded research data. There is currently little consistency in approaches to storing and managing data across federal agencies, according to the guide. It describes best practices for setting up accessible online data repositories, including details on optimal technology, infrastructure and digital object management approaches, as well as guidance on security and privacy considerations for human data.

US-Chinese dual affiliations in decline, study finds

The number of publications authored by researchers declaring affiliations in both the United States and China has fallen sharply in recent years, according to an analysis by the publishing company Elsevier for Nature News. It found that the number of researchers declaring dual US-China affiliations fell from over 15,000 in 2018 to below 12,500 in 2021. Jeroen Baas, Elsevier’s director of analytics and the lead on the study, found this fall was “more sustained” than for dual affiliations involving the US and nations besides China, according to the report. The finding comes amid increased scrutiny of US research ties to the Asian powerhouse.

HHMI pledges $1.5bn to boost lab diversity

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute is accepting applications for a new $1.5 billion research fund that will support up to 150 early career scientists who are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. The Freeman Hrabowski Scholars Program will award recipients up to $8.6 million over 10 years to conduct biomedical research, lead a diverse team of colleagues and foster a lab climate that is equitable and inclusive. “For academic science to thrive in an increasingly diverse world, we need to attract and support scientists from a wide variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds,” said HHMI president Erin O’Shea. “Early career faculty play a key role because they are leaders of tomorrow.”