Volume 35 (2016)
COSSA’s Analysis of the President’s FY 2017 Budget
President Obama released his fiscal year (FY) 2017 budget request to Congress on February 9. The request proposes increases for many of the federal agencies and programs important to the COSSA community. COSSA has prepared an in-depth analysis of the request as it relates to social and behavioral science research supported by the federal government. The report includes details on the President’s proposals for the dozens of departments, agencies, and programs of interest to social and behavioral science researchers. With the release of the President’s budget, the FY 2017 appropriations process heads into high gear. The big question now is…
There’s Still Time to Register for the 2016 COSSA Annual Meeting on March 15-16!
A near-final agenda for the 2016 COSSA Annual Meeting is now available. Check out our excellent lineup of speakers and register today! Remember, if you work for a COSSA member organization, you are eligible for a discount. Contact Julia Milton for the discount code. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
“National Interest” Bill Passes the House
Despite opposition from many in the scientific community and a veto-threat from the White House, the House of Representatives passed the Scientific Research in the National Interest Act (H.R. 3293) on February 10 by a vote of 236-178. The bill, which is sponsored by Chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee Lamar Smith (R-TX), seeks to set a definition for federally-funded research conducted in the “national interest.” The language of the bill was derived from Sec. 106 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2015 (H.R. 1806), which passed the House in May despite wide-spread, vocal opposition from…
NCHS Seeks Input on Update to NHIS
The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) plans to update one of its major surveys, the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), in 2018. The goals of the redesign are “to improve the measurement of covered health topics, to reduce respondent burden by shortening the length of the questionnaire, to harmonize overlapping content with other federal health surveys, to establish a long-term structure of ongoing and periodic topics, and to incorporate advances in survey methodology and measurement.” NCHS welcomes input from the scientific community on the proposed survey design and content. Instructions and more information are available on the NCHS website….
NIJ to Hold Webinars on Upcoming Solicitations
The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has announced that it will be holding six webinars to discuss new or altered solicitations in 2016. Registration for the first webinar, on Elder Abuse Prevention, is currently open. The other topics to be covered by the webinars are Testing and Interpretation of Physical Evidence in Publicly Funded Forensic Labs; Violence Against Women Consortium; DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction; Building Knowledge About Preventing Domestic Radicalization and Violent Extremism in the U.S.; and New Investigator/Early Career Program in the Social and Behavioral Sciences. More information about the webinar series is available on NIJ’s website….
Join COSSA for a Celebration of Social and Behavioral Science on March 15
COSSA will be hosting a Capitol Hill reception on March 15 in conjunction with the COSSA Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. Join us for drinks and hors d’oeuvres at the Celebration of Social and Behavioral Science from 6:00 to 8:00 pm in the Rayburn House Office Building. During the event, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) will be presented with the COSSA Distinguished Service Award for her steadfast support and defense of the social and behavioral sciences. RSVP is requested by March 9. The event is generously co-hosted by SAGE Publications and sponsored by the American Educational Research Association, Midwest Political…
Funding Opportunity Announcements
NIJ: Research and Evaluation on Institutional Corrections (NIJ-2016-9086) NIJ: Research and Evaluation in Support of the Recommendations of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing (NIJ-2016-9095) NIJ: Research on Bias Crimes (NIJ-2016-8979) NIJ: FY16 Visiting Fellows Program (NIJ-2016-8890) IARPA: Crowdsourcing Evidence, Argumentation, Thinking and Evaluation (CREATE) (IARPA-BAA-15-11) Back to this issue’s table of contents.
Haskins, Sawhill Win 2016 Moynihan Prize
The American Academy of Political and Social Science (AAPSS), a COSSA member, has announced the winners of the 2016 Daniel Patrick Moynihan Prize, which is given annually to “a leading policy-maker, social scientist or public intellectual whose career demonstrates the value of using social science evidence to advance the public good.” This year’s winners are Ron Haskins and Isabel Sawhill, both of the Brookings Institution, who are recognized for their influential research on inequality and poverty. They are scheduled to give a public lecture on Capitol Hill on May 12 and will be honored at an event later that evening….
Events Calendar
American Psychosomatic Society Annual Scientific Meeting, Denver, CO, March 9-12, 2016 COSSA Annual Meeting & Social and Behavioral Science Advocacy Day, Washington, DC, March 15-16, 2016 Southwestern Social Science Association Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, NV, March 22-27, 2016 Midwest Sociological Society Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, March 23-26, 2016 Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, March 28-April 2, 2016 Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, March 29-April 2, 2016 Society of Behavioral Medicine Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, March 20-April 2, 2016 Population Association of America Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, March 31-April 2, 2016 Association for Asian…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 35 Issue 3
Featured News President Rolls Out FY 2017 Budget Request, Kicks Off Annual Funding Battle Preliminary Agenda Released for COSSA Annual Meeting; Rates Increase February 15! NEW! University Rankings for Social Science Funding COSSA in Action Not Yet a COSSA Member? Join the Team! COSSA Updates State SBS Funding Fact Sheets COSSA Joins the Call for OAR Working Group on HIV/Substance Use Disorders Research Congressional News “National Interest” Bill Heads for House Vote Dyslexia Research Bill Heads to the President’s Desk Federal Agency & Administration News White House Announces National Cancer Moonshot Task Force Human Subjects Advisory Committee Seeking New Members…
President Unveils FY 2017 Budget Request, Kicks Off Annual Funding Battle
The Obama Administration has started releasing details of its final budget request to Congress. Full details of the request for fiscal year (FY) 2017 will continue to roll out over the coming days. COSSA is preparing an in-depth analysis of the request as it pertains to social science programs across the federal government. It is important to note that the President’s request for FY 2017 includes new mandatory spending at several agencies, which would largely account for the increases to these agencies. Details so far include: The National Science Foundation (NSF) would receive nearly $8 billion in FY 2017 (including…
Preliminary Agenda Released for COSSA Annual Meeting; Rates Increase February 15!
Registration rates for the 2016 COSSA Annual Meeting and 2nd Annual Social and Behavioral Science Advocacy Day on March 15-16 will increase on February 15. In addition, the hotel block for out-of-town attendees closes on February 15. Register and make your reservation today! Note: Individuals who work for COSSA member organizations are eligible for a members-only registration rate. Email jmilton@cossa.org for details on how to get your member discount. A preliminary agenda for the meeting is now available. Several sessions are still under development—check back soon for a complete listing of speakers and topics. ABOUT THE COSSA MEETING – The…
NEW! University Rankings for Social Science Funding
COSSA has produced a new resource that shows how U.S. colleges and universities rank in total social and behavioral science research funding awarded each year by the federal government. We use federally collected R&D data for social science-related funding categories to present an accurate listing of the state of social science research funding. Check out how your university stacks up. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
Not Yet a COSSA Member? Join the Team!
Do you enjoy receiving your copy of the COSSA Washington Update and want to do more to promote social and behavioral science research? Become a member of COSSA today! COSSA membership is institutional, meaning once your organization/institution/association joins, anyone at the organization can receive our member benefits, including discounted rates for the COSSA Annual Meeting and Social Science Advocacy Day. To learn more about what COSSA has to offer, download our list of member benefits. And if you are already a member, check out the list to make sure you are getting the most out of your membership. Back to…
COSSA Updates State SBS Funding Fact Sheets
COSSA has released new versions of its state-by-state funding fact sheets for federal social and behavioral science funding. The new fact sheets use information for fiscal year (FY) 2014, the most recent currently available federal data. The fact sheets use these data to demonstrate the local economic impact of federal investment in the social and behavioral sciences by providing detailed information on how much funding states receive, where it comes from, and where it goes. They are available for all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. Click here to see how much funding your state receives. Back to this…
COSSA Joins the Call for OAR Working Group on HIV/Substance Use Disorders Research
COSSA joined organizations representing the “range of scientific, professional, and patient organizations committed to the elimination of substance use disorders and addiction through education, advocacy, and the promotion of broad public and private support for HIV/AIDS and substance use research agendas of the National Institutes of Health [NIH]” on a letter to Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in response to the fiscal year (FY) 2016 Trans-NIH Plan for HIV-Related Research. The letter expresses concern “that the priorities overall and those specific to behavioral and social sciences, in particular, downplay the critical importance of reducing…
“National Interest” Bill Heads for House Vote
The Scientific Research in the National Interest Act (H.R. 3293), sponsored by Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX), is legislation that seeks to set a definition for federally-funded research conducted in the “national interest.” The language of the bill was derived from Sec. 106 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2015 (H.R. 1806), which passed the House in May despite strong and vocal opposition from the broad scientific research community. Smith has argued that his bill is intended to ensure that the National Science Foundation (NSF) is funding “only high priority research.” While the bill text itself is rather benign, the intent of the legislation,…
Dyslexia Research Bill Heads to the President’s Desk
Last week, the Senate passed the Research Excellence and Advancements for Dyslexia Act or READ Act (H.R. 3033). The bill, originally introduced in the House by Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), requires that the National Science Foundation include in its annual budget request to Congress $2.5 million to study the science of dyslexia. An additional $2.5 million is authorized for research on other learning disabilities. The final bill was amended to allow for this flexibility in funding; the original bill earmarked $5 million entirely for dyslexia research. The bill now heads to the President’s desk for signature. Back to this issue’s…
Human Subjects Advisory Committee Seeking New Members
The Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Human Research Protections (SACHRP), the advisory body to the Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary and the Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP), is soliciting nominations to fill four vacancies in 2016, including the position of Chair. SACHRP provides scientific expertise and recommendation on matters related to the protection of human subjects in scientific research. The Committee will likely play an important role as OHRP finalizes its announced revisions to the Common Rule (see COSSA’s coverage). Experts are sought from fields including “public health and medicine, behavioral and social sciences, health administration, and biomedical ethics.”…
OBSSR Convenes Expert Panel to Provide Input into Strategic Plan
On January 19-20, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) convened an expert panel to provide input into the Office’s strategic planning process as it works to update the 2007 strategic plan for FY 2016-FY 2020. The meeting follows a series of internal meetings and a November 2015 request for information (RFI) (NOT-OD-16-018) seeking the broad input of the scientific community and the public, including academia, industry, health care professionals, patient advocates and advocacy organizations, scientific and/or professional organizations, and other federal agencies regarding the scientific priorities that should be considered in the update strategic….