Issue 9 (April 30)

One way that Members of Congress can express their support for science funding is by signing a “Dear Colleague Letter.” These letters, which are sponsored by one or more Members of Congress, are circulated to all Congressional offices to solicit additional signatures. The final letters are sent to the Appropriations Committees and typically urge the committee to include a specific funding level for an agency or program in the annual appropriations bill.

There are currently several Dear Colleague Letters circulating in the House that are important to the COSSA community. They call for increased funding for the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Institute for Education Sciences, Census Bureau, and more. We need as many members of the House as possible to sign these letters.

COSSA has created a menu of resources for you to use in your outreach to lawmakers. Visit our ACTION CENTER page to send a quick note to your House Representatives urging them to sign each of the Dear Colleague Letters.

The next webinar will be taking place on May 22, featuring a discussion with the Director of the U.S. Census Bureau, Robert L. Santos. RSVP here.

Did you miss April’s webinar? You can watch the recording now to catch up on our discussion about the behavioral and social science priorities at the National Institutes of Health with Dr. Jane M. Simoni.

Headlines is a webinar series available to COSSA member organizations.

As previously reported, Congress has begun working on the fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget process with hearings for federal agencies underway. In preparation for drafting appropriations legislation, the House Appropriations Committee released guidance on submitting programmatic and report language requests for members with a deadline of May 1. However, with Congress looking towards the upcoming elections in November, it’s unclear whether they will complete any of the bills prior to the October 1 deadline.

On April 24, emergency funding was signed into law by President Biden to provide supplemental funding to the Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Energy science programs, the National Nuclear Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Administration for Children and Families, the Department of State, and the U.S. Agency for International Development, in addition to a foreign aid package that included funding to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.

Stay tuned to COSSA’s continued coverage of the FY 2025 budget process. 

The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability’s Select Committee on the Coronavirus held a hearing on Academic Malpractice: Examining the Relationship Between Scientific Journals, the Government, and Peer Review with Dr. Holden Thorp, the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Science. Thorp was one of several individuals invited to testify but the only one to attend. During the opening remarks for the hearing, Chair Dr. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) described the relationship between scientific journals and the government during the coronavirus pandemic as a negative source of government and political influence on scientific research. However, Dr. Thorp reiterated the in-depth process of developing scientific journals, including the extensive peer review process, and expressed a commitment to releasing research that is informed and clear to avoid misinformation on important topics, such as the coronavirus pandemic. The hearing largely focused on the importance of trust in science, combatting misinformation, and mitigating harm.

A recording of the hearing can be found here. 

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), within the National Institutes of Health, is accepting public feedback on proposed updates to its Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan would prioritize five key research topics in biomedical research, but NIAID also invites comments and suggestions on other themes: diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA); Women’s Health; health disparities; research inclusivity; global health; infrastructure and research facilities; data science and sharing; and workforce training.

Responses are due to [email protected] in Word or PDF form by May 27. A full listing of the Request for Information can be found here.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), within the National Institutes of Health, has issued a request for information (RFI) titled “Moving beyond individual-level determinants of mental health to address mental health disparities.” NIMH specifically wants to address gaps in knowledge on (a) the determinants of mental health disparities from social, systemic, and structural levels and (b) the development of culturally responsive, multilevel interventions to address such disparities.

Submissions must be made electronically by May 30. A full listing of the RFI can be found here.

The Division of Services and Intervention Research (DSIR) at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) titled “Regarding Strategies to Advance the Relevance and Impact of Mental Health Services Research.” This RFI seeks to gather input on how DSIR-supported research has impacted mental health practice and policy, specifically in the following areas:

• NIMH’s experimental therapeutics requirement
• Needed information by legislators, clinical or provider practices, insurers and payers, and people with lived experiences
• Cultivation of expertise and skills for researchers of mental health services
• Specific examples of institute-funded mental health services research with direct impacts on policy
• Access to high quality mental health care

The deadline for submissions is September 1 to the RFI submission website. A full listing of the RFI can be found here which also includes background on mental health services research as a discipline.

The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES), housed within the National Science Foundation (NSF), has issued a request for information (RFI) on Use Cases to Inform a Future National Secure Data Service (NSDS) (see previous COSSA coverage). NSDS is intended to inform the ongoing work to improve the governments’ data infrastructure system, including new ways of collecting and linking data. NCSES requests information on research, policy, program, and education use cases as well as challenges and barriers that could be addressed using an NSDS for the development of a future NSDS. 

Comments are requested by June 14 and can be submitted here. 

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) housed within the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) in the Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued a request for information (RFI) on the future uses of artificial intelligence (AI) in the criminal justice system. In response to the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence Executive Order released by the Biden Administration in October 2023 (see previous COSSA coverage), NIJ seeks to understand the potential impacts of AI use in the criminal justice system to potentially influence a future report on the topic.

Comments are requested by May 28 and should be emailed to [email protected]. 

Registration is officially open for the 17th Matilda White Riley Behavioral and Social Sciences Honors. The event recognizes both emerging scientists and leaders in the field whose research reflects Dr. Matilda White Riley’s vision of research excellence in health-related behavioral and social sciences.

Matilda White Riley was a celebrated scientist and member of the National Academy of Sciences whose work and leadership left a lasting impact on behavioral and social sciences across the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and beyond.

Registration for the event is required and the Distinguished Lecturer will be Dr. Bernice Pescosolido, Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Indiana University.

The presentation will be recorded and available in about two weeks on the NIH website. Closed captioning will be available for the event. People who need reasonable accommodations to participate in this event should contact Allison Hurst at [email protected].