Executive Branch News
NSF Requests Information on Roadmap for new TIP Directorate
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released a request for information (RFI) on developing a roadmap for the Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP). NSF is seeking input to inform the TIP Directorate’s three-year roadmap, and is requesting comments on the following focus areas: artificial intelligence; computer hardware and software; quantum science and technology; robotics and advanced manufacturing; advanced communication technologies; biotechnology; data storage and cybersecurity; energy and industrial technologies; and advanced materials science. NSF is also requesting comments on the societal, national, and geostrategic challenges to be addressed through TIP-supported research, including United States national security and workforce…
NSF Seeks Input on New Research Security Effort, Webinars Scheduled
The Office of the Chief of Research Security Strategy and Policy (OCRSSP) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) has released a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) seeking input from the research community on the creation of a new Research Security and Integrity Information Sharing Analysis Organization (RSI-ISAO). As previously reported, the CHIPS and Science Act passed in 2022 called for the establishment of a new research security and integrity entity to “safeguard the security and integrity of the U.S. research enterprise while simultaneously promoting the furtherance of human knowledge.” The new entity will be tasked with developing and sharing resources that…
NSF Accepting Proposals for New Language Science Research Initiative
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is accepting proposals that diversify and further deepen the study of language and communication. This is a collaborative initiative across several programs in the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences with shared interests in the study of language. It is an effort to organize new relationships that integrate knowledge across disciplines and/or levels of analysis. The goal is to advance more universal and replicable theories in the language and communication sciences via diversified sampling practices, language(s) of study, methodologies, and theoretical perspectives. This is not a special competition or new program; instead investigators should submit…
NSB Requests Nominations to Fill Upcoming Vacancies
The National Science Board (NSB) is seeking nominations to fill eight upcoming vacancies for the 2024-2030 term. NSB is the policy-making body of the National Science Foundation (NSF) that also serves as an independent advisor to the President and Congress on federal science policy. The board consists of 24 members who serve staggered six-year terms, with the NSF director serving as a 25th ex officio member. External nominations are considered by the NSB, which will then makes recommendations to the White House. New members are appointed by the President of the United States. More information can be found in NSB’s…
PCAST Releases Extreme Weather Report
The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) has released a report titled, Extreme Weather Risk in a Changing Climate: Enhancing prediction and protecting communities. The report discusses how recent advances in science and technology can improve prevention and response to extreme weather conditions. Recognizing the added risk for communities lacking in resources to protect against these conditions and the need for accessible and transparent data, the report recommends the White House develop a National Adaptation Plan that include a robust approach to determining high-risk zones, frameworks for creating local solutions to prevent extreme weather risks, and guidelines…
NSB to Revisit NSF’s Merit Review Process
The National Science Board (NSB), the policy-making body of the National Science Foundation (NSF) that also serves as an independent advisor to the President and Congress on federal science policy issues, met on May 9-10. Among the topics discussed was the establishment of a commission to review NSF’s merit review process and criteria. The NSB-NSF Commission on Merit Review (MRX) was formally created in February and is now getting started on its review and engagement with external stakeholders. The Commission was created in response to language included in the CHIPS and Science Act passed in 2022 that called on NSF…
Biden Administration Releases Report on Mental Health Research
The Biden Administration, alongside the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Domestic Policy Council (DPC), released a report on Mental Health Research Priorities. The blueprint follows the Administration’s Strategy to Address Our National Mental Health Crisis within the Unity Agenda released in March of last year, and received funding through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022. Among the priorities are: advancing mental health intervention and treatment through improving digital intervention and treatment methods; improving treatment for serious mental illness; preventing suicide; and expanding the mental health workforce while providing improved support. The report also…
NIH Releases New Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has released its most recent Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA). The plan is intended to improve diversity and inclusion within the agency and the biomedical research community and builds off of stakeholder feedback collected last year (see previous COSSA coverage). NIH identifies key stages of implementation in the strategic plans’ framework, including the need to encourage the agency and community to become more people-centered and improve diversity and inclusion within their operations, workforce, and research. To this end, the NIH says it plans to implement sustainable practices to improve representation…
JASON Releases Report on NSF’s Pending Research on Research Security Program
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has commissioned a report by JASON, the independent scientific and national security advisory body, on NSF’s proposed “Research on Research Security” program. This program has been in development as part of the push towards securing the U.S. research enterprise over the past few years, and is intended to provide funding to scientifically examine aspects of research security (see previous coverage). The JASON report aims to consider what this program might look like at NSF and how it would impact research security policy throughout the federal government. Notably, the JASON report states that the “social sciences…
NSF Accepting Proposals for New GRANTED Equity and Diversity Program
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is accepting proposals for the Growing Research Access for Nationally Transformative Equity and Diversity (GRANTED) program, a new initiative within NSF’s Broadening Participation efforts aiming to provide funding for strategies to address inequalities and challenges within the research enterprise. The GRANTED program may support research and development on inequalities but may also support administrative and infrastructure needs to achieve equity in research. Proposals for the GRANTED program should center around at least one of the following main themes: The GRANTED Program holds weekly office hours every Wednesday to address questions and concerns. The program does…
Nominations Open for 2023 James S. Jackson Memorial Award
The National Institute of Mental Health at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is seeking nominations for the 2023 James S. Jackson Memorial Award. This award, named in memoriam for previous University of Michigan Professor of Psychology and former COSSA president James S. Jackson, honors an outstanding researcher with demonstrated exceptional individual achievement and leadership in mental health disparities research. Award recipients will also have shown excellence in mentorship, influence, and defined support of trainees. Nominations will be accepted through May 10, 2023. Read more information about the award’s criteria, application, and selection process here.
DOD Announces Awards for Social Science Research Under the Defense Education and Civilian University Partnership
The Department of Defense (DOD) has announced a $2 million award for partnerships between six university and Defense Professional Military Education (PME) institution faculty teams in an effort to facilitate connections between faculty who share complementary research interests. These Defense Education and Civilian University Research (DECUR) Partnerships exist under DoD’s Minerva Research Initiative, which strengthens the DOD’s connections with the social science community and helps DoD better understand and prepare for future challenges. Each DECUR partnership is set to pursue one of the following research projects: Read more about the awards and partnerships here.
NIH Seeking Feedback on Plan to Enhance Public Access to Research
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has released a Plan to Enhance Public Access to the Results of NIH-Supported Research, a direct response to the August 2022 memorandum from the White House directing federal research agencies to make publications and data from federally funded research publicly accessible (see previous COSSA coverage). The plan outlines the agency’s proposed actions to make NIH research more publicly accessible, especially in regard to research data and scholarly publications. In addition, NIH will be accepting feedback on the public access plan, with particular interest on the following topics: Comments will be accepted through April 24,…
OSTP to Host Listening Sessions to Inform the Federal STEM Strategic Plan
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is hosting virtual listening sessions throughout March to inform development of the 2023-2028 Federal STEM Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan was first introduced in 2013 by the National Science and Technology Committee (NSTC) during the Obama Administration, and was continued by the Trump Administration in 2018 (previous COSSA coverage). The Strategic Plan is a five-year plan that seeks to improve STEM education and the workforce and is required by the America COMPETES Re-authorization Act of 2010. The listening sessions will be facilitated by the IDA Science and Technology Policy Institute…
OMB, Stakeholders Preparing for Changes to Race and Ethnicity Standards
As previously reported by COSSA, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is in the process of revising and modernizing their race and ethnicity standards that were last updated in 1997. The Interagency Technical Working Group on Race and Ethnicity Statistical Standards is hosting a series of Town Halls to receive feedback from the public on the initial proposals. The Town Halls are scheduled for Tuesday, March 14 at 2pm ET, Friday, March 17 at 2pm ET, and Saturday, March 18, at 2pm ET. Registration has not yet opened but will be available here. OMB will also record the sessions…
OSTP and BJS Requesting Feedback on Criminal Justice Statistics
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) within the Department of Justice have released a request for information regarding the collection of criminal justice data and statistics. The request seeks to inform the Biden Administration’s practices on data collection, use, and transparency and will aim to identify how to provide guidance to law enforcement agencies. The request builds off of a previous Executive Order (E.O. 14074) on Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices to Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety. Comments will be accepted through March 30, 2023….
Penn State and OSTP Host Final Evidence Forum
Penn State University’s Evidence-to-Impact Collaborative held an Evidence Forum alongside the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) on February 22. As a part of a series of events, the Evidence Forums were held to foster communication between federal agencies and the public to share evidence-based research strategies. At the final of ten Evidence Forums, Penn State focused on the need to improve equity within research. The forum concluded that affected populations should be central to identifying solutions and that researchers must consider societal impacts. Neeli Bendapudi, the President of Penn State, emphasized the importance of disciplines working…
ICYMI: President Biden’s State of the Union Address
On February 7, President Biden held the annual State of the Union Address. Biden celebrated his Administration’s success during the previous term and signaled the Administration’s future goals. These goals include advancing gun safety laws, while also recognizing the historical Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, and reforming law enforcement through providing more training for police officers, with an emphasis on equity and violence prevention training, and more resources to programs that handle mental health issues and drug addiction. President Biden also recognized the passage of the CHIPS and Science Act and the creation of the Advanced Projects Research Agency for Health…
NIJ To Host National Research Conference Focused on Research Evidence
The National Institute of Justice has opened registration for a national research conference, From Evidence to Action: Harnessing Research to Promote Safety and Evidence, which will take place May 23-25 in Arlington, Virginia. NIJ is welcoming poster abstract proposals for the conference that detail how research evidence has influenced policy and practice. Expected topics include law enforcement, corrections, forensic science, courts, juvenile justice, victims of crime, and equitable research strategies. NIJ will also educate attendees on the process of securing NIJ grant awards. The conference is available to all participants for free and registration is open here.
NSF Introduces New Accelerating Research Translation Program
The Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) has introduced a brand new research program called Accelerating Research Translation (ART), which aims to advance research capacity to translate academic findings into public impacts. Through the ART program, the NSF is seeking to enlarge the capacity and pace of translational research at U.S. institutions of higher education which will transform research discoveries into tangible solutions benefitting the public. Rather than supporting institutions whose translational research activity is already in full swing, the ART program is intended to fund research which would build infrastructure, provide training…