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Senate Subcommittee Discusses FY 2018 NIH Budget, Pledges Support
On June 22, the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (LHHS) Appropriations Subcommittee held a hearing to discuss the fiscal year (FY) 2018 budget request for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Appearing before the committee were NIH Director Francis Collins and six institute and center directors, including Douglas Lowy of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Gary Gibbons of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), Anthony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Richard Hodes of the National Institute of Aging (NIA), Nora Volkow of the National Institute on Drug…
NIH Suspends Recently-Announced Grant Support Index Policy, Launches âNext Generation Researchers Initiativeâ
On June 8, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins announced that based on feedback from the scientific community in response to the May 2 proposed policy change to use a Grant Support Index (GSI) as a means to âoptimize stewardship of tax payersâ dollars,â NIH has decided to take âa more focused approach to increase the number of NIH-funded early-staged an mid-care investigators (ESI).â Instead of the GSI, Collins announced the agency will implement a âNext Generation Researchers Initiative (NGRI).â The issue was discussed at the June 8 NIH Advisory Committee to Director (ACD) meeting following a presentation…
Coalition to Promote Research Launches Petition Drive: âAdvancing Principles of Scientific Stewardshipâ
On June 12, the Coalition to Promote Research (CPR), which is co-led by COSSA and the American Psychological Association (a COSSA member), launched a petition drive, Advancing Principles of Scientific Stewardship. The effort is designed to make evident the support of the general public as well as the scientific community for Americaâs premier federal research enterprise, including the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The organizers hope to showcase the enormous unseen support for the peer/merit review process. The CPR petition highlights the general publicâs and scientific communityâs recognition that âEffective policy planning and appropriate, stable…
AAPOR Report Assesses 2016 Election Polling Performance
After Donald Trumpâs surprise win in the 2016 election, the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR), a COSSA governing member, convened a committee to review the performance of pre-election polling (AAPOR has convened such committees after the past several elections). The committee, chaired by Courtney Kennedy of the Pew Research Center, recently released An Evaluation of 2016 Election Polls in the U.S., outlining its findings and recommendations. According to the committee, âWhile the general public reaction [to the election result] was that âthe polls failed,â we found the reality to be more complex â a position held by a…
House Appropriations Subcommittee Holds Oversight Hearing on Advances in Biomedical Research
On May 17, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (LHHS) held an oversight hearing to discuss the advances in biomedical research by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH Director Francis Collins was accompanied by Institute directors Anthony Fauci (Allergy and Infectious Diseases), Gary Gibbons (Heart, Lung, and Blood), Joshua Gordon (Mental Health), Doug Lowy (Cancer), and Nora Volkow (Drug Abuse). Welcoming the agency before the Subcommittee, Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) noted that âinvestment in NIH has been the key driver in making the United States the world leader of biomedical research…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 36 Issue 8
Featured News Why Social Science Is Marching for Science COSSA in Action 286 Societies Sign Letter in Support of R&D Enterprise Federal Agency & Administration News NSF Seeks Nominations for Advisory Committee NSF Releases Dear Colleague Letter on Convergence Research NIH Office of AIDS Research Issues RFI on FY 2019 Trans-NIH Research Plan Publications & Community Events Criminologists Call for Keeping Science at DOJ Academies Calls for Science Communication Partnership Proposals Academies Report Examines Impact of Social Competencies on College Success National Academies Releases New Research Integrity Report Funding Opportunity Announcements COSSA Member Spotlight Society for Prevention Research Joins COSSA…
COSSA Presents 2017 Distinguished Service Award to Senators Gardner and Peters
On March 29, as part of the 2017 COSSA Science Policy Conference and Celebration of Social Science Capitol Hill Reception, COSSA presented the 2017 Distinguished Service Award to Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Gary Peters (D-MI). The COSSA Distinguished Service award recognizes leaders who have gone above and beyond to promote, protect, and advance the social and behavioral science research enterprise. Awardees are chosen by the COSSA Board of Directors, which represents COSSAâs governing member associations. Senators Gardner and Peters were recognized for their bipartisan work on the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act (AICA), legislation that reauthorizes activities at the…
HHS Secretary Appears Before House Appropriations Subcommittee, Suggests NIH Budget Cuts to Come From âEfficienciesâ in Indirect Costs
On March 29, newly appointed Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) former Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) made his first appearance before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies. Welcoming the Secretary, Subcommittee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) began the hearing by pointing out that the proposed cuts in the Budget Blueprint (aka âskinny budgetâ) released by the Administration on March 16 âare extensive and span the reach of [the] agency.â Cole asked Price how the Department intends to solve âsome of the challengesâ the budget poses to HHS, including…
Trump Administration Releases Preliminary Details on FY 2018 Budget
On March 16, the Trump Administration released preliminary, high-level details of its fiscal year (FY) 2018 budget request, referred to as a “skinny budget.” Full budget details are expected sometime in May. There are few surprises in the President’s “safety and security” budget blueprint. Major reductions are proposed for nondefense discretionary programs (including research accounts) in order to finance $54 billion in increases for the Department of Defense. Of course, to achieve such a reallocation, Congress would need to act to adjust the budget caps that are currently governing defense and nondefense discretionary spending; the President cannot unilaterally shift funds…
Bracing for a Tough Budget Cycle
The fiscal year (FY) 2017 appropriations process has yet to conclude, but interest is already turning to FY 2018. The Trump Administration has begun releasing limited details on what the Presidentâs FY 2018 budget request could contain when released later this spring. A so-called âskinny budget,â or top-line, department-level outline, is expected to be released next week with full details provided in May. The President has stated his intent to propose an additional $54 billion in defense spending. Such an increase coupled with promises of middle class tax cuts, corporate tax cuts, a $1 trillion infrastructure plan, and keeping Medicare…
Funding Opportunity Announcements
NICHD/NINR: Research to Address Sleep Disorders in the Context of Medical Rehabilitation (R01) (PAR-17-163) NIMH: Formative and Pilot Intervention Research for Prevention and Treatment of HIV/AIDS (R34) (PA-17-166) NIMH: Research to Support the Reduction and Elimination of Mental Health Disparities (Admin Supp) (PA-17-165) NIH Concept Clearances: NIDCR: Interdisciplinary Collaborations to Promote Research in Oral Health and Aging: This initiative is designed accelerate âresearch that will improve the oral health of older adults by addressing knowledge gaps in the etiology and management of dental, oral, and craniofacial disease associated with aging.â NIGMS: NIGMS-Specific Predoctoral T32 Training Program: The new FOA is…
Healthier Lives Through Behavioral and Social Sciences Research: NIH OBSSR Releases Strategic Plan for 2017-2021
On November 23, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) officially released its Strategic Plan 2017-2021. The plan focuses on the scientific priorities and fundamental research challenges that âOBSSR is uniquely positioned to address,â according to OBSSR Director William Riley. The overarching theme of the three âequally important scientific priorities identified in the plan ⊠is to encourage a more cumulative and integrated behavioral and social science research enterprise that extends from basic science through the adoption of approaches to improve the nation’s health.â Specifically, the three priorities are: Improve the synergy of…
Congress Returns for Lame Duck Session, Begins Organizing
Congress returns to Washington this week for the first time since last weekâs historic elections. Lawmakers are returning to a new reality that many did not see coming, with the election of Donald Trump as the next President and the Republicans maintaining a stronghold in both chambers of Congress. Following the elections, Republicans maintain a narrowed majority in the House and Senate. The Senate margins sit at 51 Republicans to 48 Democrats, with a run-off race in Louisiana scheduled for December. In addition, and as expected, Republicans held onto control of the House, with 239 Republicans to 193 Democrats, though…
NIGMS Analyzes RFI Response on Modernizing Biomedical Graduate Education
On November 2, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) shared its analysis of the input it received from the scientific community in response to a June 2016 request for information (RFI) (NOT-GM-16-109) on how to âcatalyze the modernization of biomedical graduate education through NIGMSâs institutional predoctoral training program.â According to NIGMS, the comments received addressed 28 themes and fell into five categories: institutional and training-related issues, skills development, systemic issues within the research enterprise, careers, and administrative and review issues. The feedback around the issue of diversity and the role of…
Funding Opportunity Announcements
NSF: Dear Colleague Letter: Change Makers (NSF-16-109) NIH opportunities: Â NIH: Extramural Loan Repayment Program for Contraception and Infertility Research (LRP-CIR) (NOT-OD-16-115) NIH: Extramural Loan Repayment Program for Clinical Researchers (LRP-CR) (NOT-OD-16-116) NIH: Extramural Loan Repayment Program for Pediatric Research (LRP-PR) (NOT-OD-16-117) NIH: Extramural Loan Repayment Program for Health Disparities Research (LRP-HDR) (NOT-OD-16-118) NIH: Extramural Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds (LRP-IDB) (NOT-OD-16-119) NIMH: Advanced Laboratories for Accelerating the Reach and Impact of Treatments for Youth and Adults with Mental Illness (ALACRITY) Research Centers (P50) (PAR-16-354) NIMHD/NCI: Social Epigenomics Research Focused on Minority Health and Health…
2017 COSSA Science Policy Conference & Social Science Advocacy Day
COSSA held its 2017 Science Policy Conference and Social Science Advocacy Day on March 29-30 in Washington, DC. Sessions featured important discussions on social science within the context of the Trump Administration and the new Congress. The keynote address was delivered by University of California, Berkeley sociologist Arlie R. Hochschild, whose book Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right was a finalist for the 2016 National Book Award. The program also included an expert panel addressing the political and policy challenges of the day and strategies for addressing them, and discussions on the benefits of public engagement…
OBSSR 2016-2020 Strategic Plan Discussed at NIH Council of Councils
On May 20, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) Director William Riley updated and received feedback from the NIH Council of Councils regarding the progress of the OBSSR 2016-2020 Strategic Plan. The Council consists of approximately 30 members, selected from the various NIH Institute and Center (IC) Advisory Councils, representatives nominated by the Office of the Director program offices, and broad lay representation. It also advises the NIH Director on matters related to the policies and activities of the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI), where OBSSR is housed.
White House Releases First-Ever Working Group Report on Language and Communication
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policyâs (OSTP) National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Subcommittee on Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences recently released the first ever, Report from the Interagency Working Group on Language and Communication, âan inventory of current programmatic activities across Federal agencies and departments that relate to the scientific and technological aspects of language and communication.â The report explains why the government and the American people benefit from its investments in R&D activities relating to language and communication. A key feature of the report is the Language and Communication R&D Taxonomy providing a âcommon framework…
Senate Committee Discusses U.S. Science Investments; COMPETES Bill Expected Soon
On May 11, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation held a hearing entitled, âLeveraging the U.S. Science and Technology Enterprise.â The Committee heard from a panel of experts in science and engineering representing the university and private sectors. The hearing was designed to inform the Committeeâs efforts as it works to reauthorize the America COMPETES Act, which is legislation originally enacted in 2007 to bolster U.S. investment in basic scientific research. The Committee has oversight jurisdiction for the National Science Foundation (NSF) and other basic science agencies. Read on for full details and check out COSSAâs complete coverage…