New from COSSA
Editor’s Note: Update Returning on January 9
This is our final issue of the COSSA Washington Update for 2023. Late-breaking news and analysis will be shared with members subscribed to our members-only emails. We will resume our ongoing coverage of policy developments affecting the social and behavioral sciences on January 9. The COSSA team wishes all our readers a happy and healthy holiday season.
Advocacy Day Spotlight: Early Bird Registration Coming Soon
Early bird registration for COSSA’s tenth annual Social Science Advocacy Day will be opening soon! The event will be taking place April 8-9, 2024 in Washington, DC. Be sure to save the date, share with your colleagues, and keep an eye on your inbox for the latest details. If your organization is interested in becoming a sponsor of Social Science Advocacy Day, learn more here. Visit the COSSA website for the latest information on Social Science Advocacy Day.
NEW ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress to Reject Cuts to Science Funding in FY 2024!
The U.S. House of Representatives is voting this week on fiscal year (FY) 2024 appropriations bills that fund social and behavioral science research. The bills in the House propose massive cuts to discretionary spending, including for research. Write to your members of Congress TODAY and urge them to reject these proposals. For more details, follow COSSA’s FY 2024 coverage here. Visit COSSA’s TAKE ACTION page to send a quick message to your Senators and Representatives and tell them why they must reject cuts to science funding in FY 2024.
SAVE THE DATE: COSSA’s 2024 Social Science Advocacy Day is April 8-9
COSSA’s tenth annual Social Science Advocacy Day will be taking place on April 8-9, 2024 in Washington, DC! Our signature, members-only event will bring together social and behavioral science researchers, faculty, students, association professionals, and other advocates from across the country to meet with their elected officials in Congress to discuss the value of our sciences and the importance of federal funding. Stay tuned for additional details, early bird registration will be opening in a few weeks! Until then, save the date and share this exciting opportunity with your colleagues. We hope to see you in Washington, DC in April 2024!
COSSA Releases 2022 Annual Report
COSSA’s 2022 Annual Report is now available. Check it out to learn more about COSSA’s activities and successes over the past year. Find out how your organization can become a member of COSSA on our website.
Find Us on Instagram!
You can now find COSSA on Instagram! Be sure to follow us here to stay informed on all things related to social science in federal policymaking. Find our other social media profiles on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
NEW ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress to Support the Highest Possible Funding Levels for Social Science!
Congressional appropriators are currently considering fiscal year (FY) 2024 appropriations bills that would decimate funding for federal science and statistical agencies. It is critical that we raise our voices in support of robust investment in social and behavioral science research. In response, COSSA has issued an action alert urging members to write to their Members of Congress to urge their support for social science research funding in FY 2024! Visit COSSA’s TAKE ACTION page to send a quick message to your Senators and Representatives and tell them why they must support the highest possible funding levels for federal science and statistical agencies…
Save the Date! Social Science Advocacy Day is April 8-9
We are excited to invite social science advocates to COSSA’s tenth annual Social Science Advocacy Day on April 8-9, 2024! Our signature, members-only event will bring together social and behavioral science researchers, faculty, students, association professionals, and other advocates from across the country to meet with their elected officials in Congress to discuss the value of our sciences and the importance of federal funding. Stay tuned for additional details over the coming months, including how to register and available sponsorship opportunities. We hope to see you in Washington, DC in April 2024!
Shaping NSF’s TIP Directorate
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking public input into the development of a roadmap for the newly created Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP). The roadmap will guide the TIP Directorate’s activities and directions for the next three years, and COSSA needs your input to help ensure that insights from social and behavioral science research are included—if not prioritized—in efforts to shape the future of U.S. technology development and deployment. COSSA will be submitting comments to NSF on behalf of the research community before the deadline. We want to hear from you. Comments and ideas for the roadmap should be sent…
Social Scientists Take to Capitol Hill for Social Science Advocacy Day
On April 24-25, COSSA held its annual Social Science Advocacy Day events in Washington, DC. Over 50 social and behavioral science researchers, students, and advocates from 11 different states descended on Capitol Hill to discuss with Congress the importance of funding for federal agencies and programs that support social and behavioral science research. This was COSSA’s first in-person Social Science Advocacy Day since 2019. Materials used to help articulate the value of social and behavioral science research are available on the COSSA website, including FY 2024 Appropriations Requests and new topical one-pagers. To participate in social science advocacy from home, visit…
Take Action to Support Social Science Funding!
Social science is here to help! During COSSA’s 2023 Social Science Advocacy Day, advocates shared stories about ways social science is informing policy and improving lives. They did their part to secure robust funding for the federal agencies and programs critical to our sciences. Now it’s your turn. Congressional appropriators are preparing legislation that will determine funding for federal science and data agencies for the next year. With some lawmakers discussing a return to FY 2022 funding levels (see related article), it is essential to fight for robust investments in social and behavioral science research and federal statistical agencies. Now…
Social Science Advocacy Day is Tuesday, April 25!
Next Tuesday, April 25, is Social Science Advocacy Day. More than 50 advocates from across the country will be on Capitol Hill to urge increased funding support for social and behavioral science research. Watch your inbox and COSSA’s Action Center to learn how you can engage from home on April 25. Follow all the Advocacy Day coverage on Twitter @cossadc and using the hashtags #cossa2023 and #whysocialscience.
COSSA Speaks with University of Michigan Student Press on Top Ranking for Social Science Funding
Recently, Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA) Executive Director Wendy Naus spoke with Nadia Taeckens of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor’s independent student paper, The Michigan Daily, for an article on COSSA’s 2023 College & University Rankings for Federal Social & Behavioral Science R&D. For the second year in a row, the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor topped COSSA’s rankings, beating out universities such as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (see previous coverage). In the article, Naus states, “(COSSA has) been using federally collected data to develop the rankings since 2016, because we were…
COSSA Releases Analysis of President’s Budget Request for FY 2024 for Social Science
On March 9, the Biden Administration began releasing details of its fiscal year (FY) 2024 budget request to Congress, with additional information rolling out over subsequent days. In total, the Biden Administration is requesting $209.7 billion for research and development activities across the federal government in FY 2024, an increase of $8.9 billion. Within that amount, $101.2 billion is sought for basic and applied research activities, an increase of $3.5 billion. The budget identifies several cross-government priorities for the President, including: As you will read throughout this report, the FY 2024 budget request prioritizes investment in these and other areas…
March Headlines to Feature Discussion on the FY 2024 Funding Outlook for Social & Behavioral Science Research
COSSA’s regular webinar series, COSSA Headlines, is back for 2023 and will kick off March 16 with a discussion on President Biden’s FY 2024 budget request for science and outlook for research funding in the new Congress. The COSSA team will also highlight ways social and behavioral science researchers can weigh on with their elected officials to support federal research funding. Register for the webinar here.