Executive Branch News
NSF Accepting Career-Life Balance Supplemental Funding Requests
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced that it is accepting supplemental funding requests for current NSF grantees and research fellows under its Career-Life Balance (CLB) initiative. This initiative, which began in 2012, gives financial support to early-career researchers with the goal of preventing leaving the STEM workforce due to sudden increases in family care responsibilities and costs. The award requests may be for funding for up to six months of salary or up to a $30,000 stipend plus indirect costs. More information about the CLB initiative and instructions on submitting supplemental funding requests are available on the NSF website.
NIH Releases Final Policy for Data Management and Sharing
On October 29, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released its final agency policy for data management and sharing (DMS) of scientific data generated from NIH-funded or conducted research. The NIHâs DMS policy takes stakeholder feedback into account to ensure that data from scientific research is accessible, sharable, and managed properly. More information about the policy is available on the NIH website. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
NIH Seeking Comments on Agency-Wide Strategic Plan for COVID-19 Research
On October 28, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released a request for information (RFI) to gather public input on the NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for COVID-19 Research released in July (see previous COSSA coverage for more details). As the coronavirus pandemic persists, NIH acknowledges that the framework in the Strategic Plan should be updated periodically to meet the needs of the research community in addressing the pandemic. NIH is seeking comments related to the following topics: Significant research gaps or barriers not currently identified in the Strategic Plan; Resources required or lacking that could advance the priorities in the Strategic…
Supreme Court Ends Census Count Early; Congress Could Still Act to Protect Accuracy
On October 13, the Supreme Court issued a ruling allowing the Department of Commerce to end its 2020 Census field operations early (see COSSAâs previous coverage for the complete back-and-forth on the end date). However, while the enumeration efforts have ended, the Census Bureau now moves to critical data processing and quality-checking work to ensure that the final counts submitted for redistricting and reapportionment purposes are accurate. The timeline for this essential work is significantly compressed compared to both the Bureauâs original 2020 Census operating plan and the Administrationâs COVID-19-adjusted plan. Congress can act to move statutory deadlines and instruct…
White House to Weaken Protections for Civil Servants through âSchedule Fâ Classification
On October 21, President Trump issued an Executive Order on Creating Schedule F in the Excepted Service, a move that elicited wide criticisms from federal employee organizations. The executive order would create a new classification of federal employee, Schedule F, and defines this class of employee as those in âpositions of a confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character that are not normally subject to change as a result of a Presidential transition.â Furthermore, heads of executive agencies would be given the power to determine which Federal positions are covered by Schedule F upon approval by the White House Office of…
NSF Seeks Input on Future Convergence Accelerator Topics, Midscale STEM Education Infrastructure
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released a request for information (RFI) on future topics for the NSF Convergence Accelerator. The Convergence Accelerator is a capability within NSF to accelerate use-inspired convergence research in areas of national importance via partnerships between academic and non-academic stakeholders. The Convergence Accelerator is entering its third funding cycle and has previously featured tracks related to NSFâs Industries of the Future (IotF) initiative and Big Ideas related to Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier (FW-HTF), Harnessing the Data Revolution (HDR), Quantum Leap (QL). The RFI is seeking ideas for new topics that build upon…
COSSA and NIH Minority Health Institute Discuss COVID-19 Response
On September 23 as a member of the steering committee of the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research, COSSA Executive Director Wendy Naus participated in a webinar (video recording) for Congressional staff featuring a discussion with Dr. Eliseo Perez-Stable, Director of the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The webinar is the first in a series organized by the Ad Hoc Group and the Coalition for Health Funding aimed at raising the visibility of NIHâs individual institutes and centers on Capitol Hill, specifically as their work relates to COVID-19 response….
Fight for Accurate Census Continues Even as Counting Wraps Up
The 2020 Census has been sent to the Supreme Court yet again, this time over the Administrationâs plans to end field enumeration and non-response follow-up efforts early and to rush the timeline for producing Constitutionally-mandated redistricting and reapportionment data. As previously reported, a federal judge required counting efforts for the 2020 Census to continue until the end of October. The Administration has appealed that ruling to the Supreme Court to allow it to end enumeration activities as soon as possible in order to shift the operation to producing data by the end-of-year statutory deadline. Many Census expertsâincluding the Census Bureau…
NIH Encourages Participation in Surveys on Impacts of COVID-19 on Extramural Research
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) plans to distribute a pair of surveys to gather data on the COVID-19 pandemicâs impacts on extramural research, according to an October 5 blog post from Mike Lauer, NIHâs Deputy Director for Extramural Research. The first survey, the Institutions Survey, will attempt to understand challenges facing research institutions during the pandemic. The second survey, the Researchers Survey, will attempt to understand how the pandemic impacts individual researchers at NIH-funded institutions. Links to participate in the surveys will be sent to select email addresses at research institutions and will be open through the end of…
NIH Announces Modernization of Search and Analysis Tools
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) have announced the launch of the new and modernized RePORT (Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools) website and simplified RePORTER search tool. The RePORT website was originally launched ten years ago as a platform to search for and analyze data about NIH research activities and included several tools such as RePORTER to quickly find relevant information about specific projects. Both the RePORT website and the RePORTER tool have been updated to be more user-friendly and better meet needs based on user feedback. New functions include a modified quick search, search result filters, data visualizations, improved…
Office of Evaluation Sciences Seeks Fellows for 2021
The Office of Evaluation Sciences (OES) at the General Services Administration is currently accepting applications for a yearlong fellowship beginning in fall 2021 (based in Washington, DC with some flexibility based on the COVID-19 pandemic). OES is a team of applied researchers that works to build insights from the social and behavioral sciences into federal programs. OES designs, implements, and analyzes evidence-based interventions and randomized evaluations. Fellows shape their own high-impact portfolio of work, design and direct projects, and author academic publications. For 2021, applications are being sought for Fellows, more junior Associate Fellows, and Health Fellows with expertise in health policy….
NSF Seeking Comments on STEM Education Strategic Plan
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced it is accepting stakeholder comments on an upcoming Federal STEM Education Strategic Plan. This strategic plan, which is released roughly every five years, serves as a guide for developing STEM education programs at federal agencies as well as identifying areas for future improvement. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is a stated focus in this round of the Federal STEM Education Strategic Plan. NSF is seeking comments on the following issues: Future opportunities in STEM education; Developing STEM education digital resources; Increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM; Engaging students where disciplines converge;…
Administration Expands Ban on âPromotionâ of Structural Racism/Sexism to Contractors, Grantees
As part of the Administrationâs ongoing effort to crack down on perceived âpolitical correctnessâ in government, President Trump issued an executive order on September 22 to âcombat offensive and anti-American race and sex stereotyping and scapegoating.â This order expands on a recent memorandum from the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that required federal agencies to cease funding for training that addresses critical race theory and white privilege (see previous coverage). The executive order applies this prohibition to federal contractors and grant recipients. In addition, it expands the original OMB memo beyond employee training to require that federal…
ICE Proposes Major New Restrictions to International Student Visas
On September 25, the Department of Homeland Securityâs Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released a proposed rule fixing the initial visa term for all international students, exchange visitors, and foreign media representatives to four years, among other restrictions. Furthermore, the proposal would restrict the initial visa term to two years for individuals born in countries designated as state-sponsors of terrorism and citizens of countries with student and exchange visitor overstay rates over 10 percent. Applications to extend the duration of the visa would be possible âif the additional time needed is due to a compelling academic reason, documented medical illness…
With Days Left, Census Deadline Still in Flux
A federal judge issued an order that would prohibit the Census Bureau with ending its field enumerations efforts on September 30, as it had announced (see COSSAâs previous coverage). The preliminary injunction, issued on September 24 as part of a lawsuit brought by a group of civil rights organizations, would require the 2020 Census to continue its counting operations into October as it had originally planned. The Department of Commerce filed an appeal to this injunction and separately announced a âtarget dateâ of October 5 for ending self-response and field enumeration activities. It is unclear how this new end date…
CIA Establishes First-Ever Federal Laboratory
On September 21, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) announced the establishment of CIA Labs, a new research and development office focused on science and technology issues affecting national intelligence, marking the establishment of the CIAâs first ever federal laboratory. Some of the stated priorities of the laboratory include: advanced materials and manufacturing; artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics; bioscience and biotechnology; distributed ledger/blockchain-enabled technologies; virtual and augmented reality; high performance and quantum computing; future wireless and telecommunications technologies; and robotic, autonomous, and human interface systems. While it appears CIA Labs will be primarily performing in-house research, the CIAâs announcement…
COSSA Endorses Bipartisan Bill to Extend Census Deadline
COSSA joined over 200 organizations in endorsing a new bipartisan bill that would extend the statutory deadlines for the 2020 Census and require the Census Bureau to continue its enumeration operation through October 31. As previously reported, the Department of Commerce announced plans to end counting activities for the 2020 Census a month ahead of its originally planned schedule, leading to concern that the resulting data will be inaccurate. The 2020 Census Deadline Extensions Act, introduced by Sens. Brian Schatz (D-HI), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) would require the 2020 Census to stick to its originally planned schedule…
White House Directs Federal Agencies to Defund Race-Related Trainings for Federal Employees
On September 4, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memorandum calling for federal agencies to cease funding training sessions for federal employees addressing critical race theory and white privilege. The memo alleges that âexecutive branch agencies have spent millions of taxpayer dollars to date âtrainingâ government workers to believe divisive, anti-American propaganda,â citing unnamed press reports as evidence that âemployees across the executive branch have been required to attend trainings where they are told that âvirtually all White people contribute to racismâ or where they are required to say that they âbenefit from racism.ââ The…
USDA Names New ERS Administrator
Dr. Spiro Stefanou has been appointed to lead the Economic Research Service (ERS), one of the two principal statistics agencies within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Stefanou is an agricultural economist who previously served as a professor of economics at the University of Florida and at Penn State University. Stefanou will be taking the helm of an agency that has had a rocky several years, after the Administrationâs controversial decision to move the agency to Kansas City led to significant attrition and loss of expertise at the agency. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
National Academies Releases Consensus Study on Assessing Morbidity and Mortality After Disasters
The National Academies has published a new consensus study report: A Framework for Assessing Mortality and Morbidity after Large-Scale Disasters. The Congressionally-mandated study was sponsored by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and was intended to identify ways to better understand the scope of death and injury caused by large-scale disasters (both natural and human-caused). Among the reportâs recommendations are adopting a uniform framework across federal agencies for data collection and adopting methods that distinguish direct and indirect deaths resulting from disasters. While the study commenced prior to the pandemic, COVID-19 provided a case study illustrating the needs described in the…