Executive Branch News
Criminologists Call for Keeping Science at DOJ
In a statement published in the Washington Post entitled “Keep Science in the Department of Justice,” 25 former presidents of the American Society of Criminology, a COSSA governing member, argue that politics should not intrude in the science-based approach of the National Institute of Justice and the Bureau of Justice Statistics. The statement outlines recommendations to the President and Attorney General as they appoint leaders of these agencies. Priorities include maintaining standards of scientific integrity, improving existing data tools, and promoting evidence-based policies. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
NIFA Releases Evaluation of Capacity Funding Mechanism
The Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) recently released a report that measures the effectiveness of NIFA research, education, and extension investments at land-grant colleges and universities (“capacity grants”). The report, Quantitative and Qualitative Review of NIFA Capacity Funding, was prepared by TEConomy Partners, LLC. The report finds that the capacity funding model is able to produce a high return on investment and leverage matching state and local funding for projects. It concludes, “Capacity Funding carries substantial and significant ongoing advantages as an R&D and extension funding model.” The report is available in full on the…
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…
OBSSR Director Comments on 2017-2021 Strategic Plan
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Director William (Bill) Riley recently released commentaries on the office’s 2017-2021 Strategic Plan three scientific priorities. Priority One: Improve the synergy of basic and applied behavioral and social sciences research Priority Two: Enhance and promote the research infrastructure, methods, and measures needed to support a more cumulative and integrated approach to behavioral and social sciences research Priority Three: Facilitate the adoption of behavioral and social sciences research findings in health research and in practice. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
National Medal of Science, National Medal of Technology and Innovation Nominations Open
Nominations are being accepted for potential recipients of the National Medal of Science and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. The National Medal of Science recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to knowledge in the physical, biological, mathematical, engineering, or behavioral or social sciences. The National Medal of Technology and Innovation is awarded to individuals, teams, companies, or divisions of companies for contributions to America’s economic, environmental, and social well-being. Nominations for both Medals are due by April 7, 2017. Medal of Science nominations may be submitted here. Medal of Technology and Innovation nominations may be submitted here. Back to this issue’s…
NIA Issues RFIs for Alzheimer’s Disease Bypass Budget and on Enhancing Timely Sharing of Data
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has issued two requests for information (RFI). The first is a time-sensitive RFI, Planning for NIA’s FY 2019 Alzheimer’s Disease Bypass Budget (NOT-AG-17-005). The Institute is seeking comments and input for the Institute’s use in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 NIH Alzheimer’s Disease Bypass Budget (ADBB), particularly in identifying and establishing research priorities for the FY 2019 ADBB. The ADBB is congressionally mandated via the FY 2015 Consolidated and Furthering Continuing Appropriations Act. NIH is further mandated to update the ADBB annually through FY 2025. In addition…
NIFA Introduces New Behavioral Science Grants Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced a new grant program, Behavioral and Experimental Economic Applications for Agri-Environmental Policy Design, within the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Foundational Agriculture Economics and Rural Communities program. The new program is jointly funded with the USDA’s Economic Research Service. For its first round, the new program plans to offer two grants, totaling $500,000 to help “pinpoint motivators that drive farmers to adopt conservation practices and identify the roadblocks that may get in the way.” Back to this issue’s table of contents.
NIA Seeks Applicants for its 2017 Butler-Williams Scholars Program
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is accepting applications for its 2017 Butler-Williams Scholars Program. The Institute is particularly interested in receiving applications from emerging researchers, “including those who may have had limited previous involvement in research on aging.” An activity within the NIA Office of Special Populations, the program emphasizes its interest in researchers involved and/or interested in health disparities research related to aging. Applications are due by March 24th, 2017. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
Tom Price Confirmed as Secretary of Department of Health and Human Services
Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), an orthopedic surgeon and a six-term member of the House of Representatives, was confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) by a party-line vote of 52 to 47 in the late hours of February 10. Price, who most recently served as chair of the House Budget Committee, is fiscally conservative and is considered a stern foe of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and abortion rights. However, he has been mostly supportive of increasing funding for federal research agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, which is one of the agencies under HHS’ jurisdiction. Rep….
NSF Director’s Monthly Message Outlines Big Ideas, Highlights Antarctic Program
In her January Monthly Message, Dr. France Cordova, Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), shared a video outlining the Six Big Ideas for Future NSF Investment and an update on the status of research in these areas. The six “Big Ideas” serve as bold and broad questions to help direct NSF’s long-term research agenda and ensure that future generations will reap the benefits of fundamental scientific research. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
Date Change: 10th Matilda White Riley Behavioral and Social Sciences Honors
The date for the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) 10th Matilda White Riley Behavioral and Social Sciences Honors has been changed to April 25 on the NIH campus. The Honors program pays tribute to the “research trajectory and continuing influence of Dr. Matilda White Riley in the behavioral and social sciences across and beyond” the NIH. For more information about the program see the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research’s website. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
NSF to Host The Arc of Science: Research to Results on February 15
The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF), of which COSSA is a member, are hosting The Arc of Science: Research to Results on Wednesday, February 15. The Capitol Hill event will highlight NSF-funded researchers and include remarks from Dr. France Cordova, the Director of NSF and leadership from the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. See the invitation for details and to register. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
NIH’s All of Us Research Program Issues Funding Opportunity
The National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) All of Us Research Program (formerly the Precision Medicine Initiative Cohort Program) within NIH Office of the Director has issued a new funding opportunity for organizations interested in helping engage volunteers. The funding opportunity is open to national and regional organizations, as well as local community groups. The program is designed to support activities to promote enrollment and retention in the All of Us Research Program across diverse communities. All of Us, unlike the majority of NIH-supported research, is not focused on a particular disease or population. The program is intended to “serve as a…
NSF Releases 2017 Report on Underrepresented Groups in Science and Engineering
The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) released the 2017 edition of Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering. The Congressionally-mandated report, which is released every two years, compiles data on the “participation of these three groups in science and engineering education and employment.” It reports on data across five categories: enrollment, field of degree, occupation, employment status, and early-career doctorate holders. The report digest, as well as more information on data sources and links to download the data in full are available on the NSF website. Back to this issue’s…
National Institute on Aging Seeks Input on Timely Data Sharing
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is seeking input from the scientific community on “ways to enhance the timely sharing of high-quality data generated by NIA-funded studies.” Accordingly, the Institute has issued a request for information (RFI) (NOT-AG-17-001) regarding “unique considerations” that might exist for this research as well as what the extramural research community believes are “the primary characteristics of successful data-sharing resources and strategies.” The information received by the institute will be used to inform its future policy development. Comments are due April 15, 2017. For more information and/or to comment…
Confirmation Hearings Continue for Trump Cabinet Nominees
The first three weeks of the 115th Congress has been busy as the Senate begins the process of confirming President Trump’s cabinet nominees. Hearings this week included South Carolina Congressman and nominee to lead the Office of Management and Budget, Mick Mulvaney and Georgia Congressman and nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (which includes the National Institutes of Health), Tom Price. The committee vote on Betsy DeVos, billionaire philanthropist and nominee for Secretary of Education has been delayed as Senators continue their vetting process. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
NIH Director to Stay with Trump Administration—For Now
On January 19, the last day of the Obama Administration, Science and other media outlets reported that National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins will continue as the agency’s director for the foreseeable future. As previously reported, in December, the Republican leadership of the committees with jurisdiction over the NIH sent a letter to the Trump transition team endorsing his retention as the NIH’s director. Had he not been asked to stay, Collins’ resignation would have automatically taken effect on January 20. It remains unclear, however, if Collins is among the 50 Obama Administration officials reportedly asked to continue…
OBSSR Director Discusses Implications of the New NIH Clinical Trials Policies for Behavioral and Social Sciences Research
In September 2016, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued a new NIH policy that requires the submission of grant applications requesting support for clinical trials in response to clinical trial-specific funding opportunity announcements (FOAs). According to the NIH, the purpose of the new is policy is to improve the NIH’s “ability to identify proposed clinical trials, ensure that key pieces of trial-specific information are submitted with each application, and uniformly apply trial-specific review criteria.” The new policy goes into effect September 27, 2017. Subsequently, all applications must be submitted in response to a clinical trial-specific FOA. Any applications not…
Nancy Rodriguez Leaves National Institute of Justice
After serving as Director of the National Institute of Justice since February 2015, Dr. Nancy Rodriguez announced her departure from the agency on January 13. In her farewell message, Director Rodriguez highlighted a path forward for the agency’s research objectives and called for continued multidisciplinary collaboration. The National Institute of Justice is the research, development, and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. Former Deputy Director Howard Spivak will serve as the Acting Director until a presidential appointment has been made. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
2017 Matilda White Riley Early Stage Investigator Paper Awards: Call for Papers
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) has issued a call for papers/articles for its Matilda White Riley Early Stage Investigator Paper Awards. The Paper Awards was launched in 2016.This year’s ceremony scheduled for May 5 is the 10th anniversary of Matilda White Riley Day, which commemorates Matilda White Riley’s contributions to the NIH and to behavioral and social sciences research. Awards will be presented on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland. The deadline for submission is February 1, 2017. Awardees will be notified March 8, 2017. For more information, including on past…