Search Results: AI
NIA Director Reports on the Progress of Alzheimer’s Research and Funding
On October 26, Richard Hodes, director of the National Institute on Aging (NIA) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH), provided a progress report on the development of a bypass budget to the National Alzheimerâs Project Act (NAPA) Advisory Council on Alzheimerâs Research, Care, and Services. The âbypassâ or âprofessional judgmentâ budget is transmitted directly from NIA to the President and Congress without being revised through the traditional Federal budget process. Hodes explained that a series of meetings between 2012 and 2015 provided the basis for the comprehensive set of priorities, milestones and budget estimates included in the congressionally-mandated bypass…
NIA Releases 10 Funding Opportunity Announcements Focused on Alzheimerâs Disease Research
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently released 10 funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) in anticipation of a substantial increase in its budget for Alzheimerâs disease research. The topics of the FOAs are in the areas of health disparities, caregiving, epidemiology, diagnosis and prediction, molecular and cellular mechanism, brain aging, and clinical trials. Funding for the FOAs is available beginning in FY 2016. These FOAs have set-aside funds associated with them; as long as funds are available, they will be supported in FY 2016 through FY 2019. NIA director Richard Hodes provided additional details…
Budget Talks Progressing Slowly Amid GOP Leadership Vacuum
Only 10 Congressional working days remain between now and the date the U.S. Treasury Department estimates the U.S. will have exhausted its âextraordinary measuresâ and default on its debt. Originally estimated for November 5, Treasury now says that the U.S. will reach the so-called debt limit by November 3. These developments coupled with the recent surprise withdrawal of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as candidate for House Speaker further complicate and likely delay budget negotiations that many hoped would be well underway at this point. Outgoing Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) may be forced to delay his retirement, originally scheduled for the…
NIH/AHRQ Announce Policy Changes for Grant Applications
On October 13, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) issued a notice (NOT-OD-16-004) outlining policy changes for grant applications, forms, and instructions beginning in 2016. According to the notice, the policy will affect the following areas: rigor and transparency in research, inclusion reporting, research training, data safety monitoring, and biosketch clarification, among others. The changes will occur in two phases. For more information about the changes see the notice. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
NSF Seeks Candidates for Division Director of Social and Economic Sciences
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is accepting applications for the position of Division Director for the Social and Economic Sciences (SES) Division within the Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE). The Division Director âprovides leadership and direction for the support of research and education activities that develop and advance scientific knowledge focusing on political, economic, and social systems and how individuals and organizations function within them.â More information on the position can be found in the Dear Colleague Letter from SBE. Applications may be submitted through USAJOBS. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
Academies Report Calls for Better Integration of Social Science into the USGCRP
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has released a new report, Enhancing Participation in the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP). The report offers recommendations on broadening participation of federal agencies in the USGCRP by identifying new partnership and enhancing existing ones. As part of its recommendations on better meeting the USGCRPâs goal of advancing science related to global change, the report reiterates a call from the 2012 Academies review of the USGCRPâs strategic plan that the program ââbetter integrate the social and ecological sciencesâ andâŠmove toward âan integrated observational system that connects observations of the physical environment…
Funding Opportunity Announcements
NIH: Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for the Blueprint for Neuroscience Research: Training in Computational Neuroscience, From Biology to Model and Back Again (T90/R90) (NOT-DA-15-081) NINR: Personalized Strategies to Manage Symptoms of Chronic Illness (R15) (PA-16-006), (R01) (PA-16-007), (R21) (PA-16-008) Back to this issueâs table of contents.
Events Calendar
Town Hall Meeting on the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects NPRM, Washington, DC, October 20, 2015 Census Project Briefing Call on 2020 Operational Plan, October 21, 2015 Evaluation 2015, Chicago, IL, November 7-15, 2015 North American Regional Science Council Annual Meeting, Portland, OR, November 11-14, 2015 Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Fall Research Conference, Miami, FL, November 12-14, 2015 Social Science History Association Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD, November 12-15, 2015 Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Annual Convention, Chicago, IL, November 13-15, 2015 American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, November 18-22, 2015 American Society…
House Science Committee Advances âNational Interestâ Bill and Dyslexia Legislation
On October 8, the House Science, Space and Technology Committee advanced two bills that would impact the National Science Foundation (NSF): the Scientific Research in the National Interest Act (H.R. 3293) and the Research Excellence and Advancements for Dyslexia (READ) Act (H.R. 3033). Read on for details. The Scientific Research in the National Interest Act, sponsored by Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX), 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. H.R. 3293 seeks to set a definition…
Government Shutdown Averted, For Now
Congress was able to pass a continuing resolution (CR) on September 30, the final day of fiscal year (FY) 2015, within hours of a deadline that would result in a government shutdown. However, the CR simply kicks the can to December 11, the new deadline for coming to a final agreement on FY 2016 appropriations. While policymakers have provided themselves an additional 10 weeks to complete work on the annual spending bills, the path to the finish line remains unclear, complicated further by recent events like the announcement from House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) of his retirement at the end…
NAS Releases New Reports on Immigrants, Forensic Science
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has recently released two noteworthy reports. The first, The Integration of Immigrants into American Society, compiles the available evidence on âhow immigrants and their descendants are integrating into American society in a range of areas such as education, occupations, health, and language. The second report, sponsored by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), examined NIJâs efforts to advance forensic science research and recommend ways to improve its research program. The report, Support for Forensic Science Research: Improving the Scientific Role of the National Institute of Justice, finds, âNIJ has made progress in the past…
Events Calendar
Council on Social Work Education Annual Program Meeting, Denver, CO, October 15-18, 2015 Town Hall Meeting on the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects NPRM, Washington, DC, October 20, 2015 Evaluation 2015, Chicago, IL, November 7-15, 2015 North American Regional Science Council Annual Meeting, Portland, OR, November 11-14, 2015 Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Fall Research Conference, Miami, FL, November 12-14, 2015 Social Science History Association Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD, November 12-15, 2015 Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Annual Convention, Chicago, IL, November 13-15, 2015 American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, November 18-22, 2015…
White House Holds Forum on Citizen Science and Crowdsourcing; OSTP Issues Memorandum to Agencies
On September 30, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Domestic Policy Council (DPC) hosted a live-webcast forum on citizen science and crowdsourcing. The forum, Open Science and Innovation: Of the People, By the People, For the People, recognized that a small portion of Americans are formally trained as âscientists;â however, citizen science and crowdsourcing can âeducate, engage, and empower the public to apply their curiosity and talents to a wide range of real-world problems.â Participants in the forum included citizen-science professionals, researchers, and stakeholders from Federal, state, local, and Tribal governments. It also included…
SBE-Funded Researchers Receive âGeniusâ Grants
Two of the recipients of the 2015 MacArthur Foundation Fellowship (the so-called âgeniusâ grants) are social scientists whose research is funded by the National Science Foundationâs Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) Directorate. The fellowship is awarded to individuals in any field âwho have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction.â Fellows receive a no-strings-attached cash prize to pursue their work as they see fit. Matthew Desmond is an urban sociologist at Harvard University whose work focuses on âthe impact of eviction on poor families and the role of housing…
National Science Board Seeks Nominations for 2016 Class
The National Science Board, which is the policy-making body of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and independent advisory body to the President and Congress on federal science policy, is seeking nominations for eight vacancies with terms of 2016-2022. Eight seats on the 25-member Board turn over every two years; members are appointed by the President of the United States for six year terms. The NSB is particularly interested in receiving nominations of individuals with expertise in the following areas: large/complex facility planning, construction, management and transformation; international projects and the globalization of research; metrics and performance measurement; neuroscience and the…
NIH Associate Director for Data Science Discusses Opportunities and Challenges of Data Science
At the September 1 meeting of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI) Council of Councils, Associate Director for Data Science (ADD) Philip Bourne discussed the opportunities and challenges of data science. Bourne began by asking: âWhat are we going to do with our data?â He explained that from his point of view, science is at point of significant change as a consequence of the amount of data that is being generated. Biomedical research is becoming more analytical, and scientific change is happening faster than anticipated as a result of faster accumulation of…
Michael S. Lauer Named NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research
On September 28, National Institutes of Health (NIH) director Francis Collins announced the selection of Michael S. Lauer as the new Deputy Director for Extramural Research. Collins noted that Lauer brings both research expertise and administrative skills to the job, as well as âkeen insights into the world of extramural research.â Lauer is expected to begin this new position within the coming weeks. Lauer served as the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) director of the Division of Cardiovascular Sciences. Prior to that, he served as director of NHLBIâs Division of Prevention and Population Science, and most recently, the…
CPR Briefing Highlights NIH Peer Review Process
The COSSA-led Coalition to Promote Research (CPR) recently organized its second congressional briefing of 2015 (see Update, March 24, 2015) designed to provide an overview of the National Institutes of Healthâs (NIH) peer review process for congressional staff. The briefing, NIH Priority Setting: How Peer Review Assists the NIH in Selecting the Best Science, highlighted the process used by the NIHâs Center for Scientific Review (CSR) with the help of scientific experts from around the country. Briefing speakers included CSR director Richard Nakamura and Danielle Li of Harvard University. Felice Levine, executive director of the American Educational Research Association (AERA),…
Events Calendar
Building Strength in Numbers: How Do Early Interventions in Math Instruction Add Up? Washington, DC, September 25, 2015 Council on Social Work Education Annual Program Meeting, Denver, CO, October 15-18, 2015 Evaluation 2015, Chicago, IL, November 7-15, 2015 North American Regional Science Council Annual Meeting, Portland, OR, November 11-14, 2015 Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Fall Research Conference, Miami, FL, November 12-14, 2015 Social Science History Association Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD, November 12-15, 2015 Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Annual Convention, Chicago, IL, November 13-15, 2015 American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, November 18-22, 2015 American Society…