NSF
Sen. Welch Requests GAO Report on Impact of Scientific Research
On March 24, Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) sent a letter to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting a full review of the economic, scientific, and national security impacts of the elimination of federal funding for scientific research. In the letter, he raised concerns about the Administration’s proposal of a 15 percent cap on indirect rates, arguing it would “cut $5 billion annually from university-based research nationwide”. Further, Sen. Welch highlighted the positive economic impact of scientific research, claiming that cuts to agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) would result in a loss of economic…
Register Now: April Headlines Webinar
On April 9, join COSSA for the latest Headlines webinar discussing the proposed changes to the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Merit Review process. This webinar will feature the National Science Board’s Wanda Ward and will look at what changes to merit review could mean for social and behavioral science research. Register now and join the conversation. If you missed our March Headlines webinar covering recent policy developments and tips on how to advocate from home, you can find the recording here. Headlines is a webinar series available to COSSA member organizations. Watch for additional webinar announcements, and previous webinar recordings, on the COSSA website.
US Science Funding Delayed Despite Congress Rejecting Cuts
According to reporting by Nature, federal science agencies continue to experience delays in receiving the okay to start spending their fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations from Congress. As previously reported, Congress completed its work on FY 2026 appropriations for most federal science agencies earlier this year. However, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has been slow to approve agency spending plans, which are required to be delivered to OMB within 30 days of enactment of the appropriations bills. Traditionally, agencies had authority to start spending portions of their appropriations immediately and continuing in monthly increments until its spending plan…
Interim NSF Leadership Briefs NSB on Reorganization
The National Science Board (NSB), the governing and oversight body of the National Science Foundation (NSF), met on February 25. The agenda included a briefing on NSF’s new “management structure,” presented by Brian Stone, who is performing the duties of the NSF Director, and Micah Cheatham, NSF’s Chief Management Officer. The speakers discussed recent efforts to reduce the NSF workforce in response to White House guidance and executive orders on “optimizing the federal workforce.” In addition to reductions in force (RIFs) taken over the last year, NSF’s efforts have focused on reducing the ratio of executives to non-executives within the workforce, adding non-executive supervisors,…
Congress Requests Briefings from Scientific Research Agencies on Safeguarding Against Foreign-Linked Compromised Research
On February 5, House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Brian Babin (R-TX) and Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Rich McCormick (R-GA) sent letters to several agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Energy (DOE), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), raising concerns about “falsified research” published from “paper mills” funded by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In their letter to NSF, the Chairmen wrote: “Such false research can negatively impact the scientific community and set back fundamental and critical research for years before it is identified. As a…
Science Agency Leadership Shakeups Continue
The White House recently announced plans to nominate Jim O’Neill as the next Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), placing a longtime health policy official and private-sector investor at the helm of the nation’s premier basic science funding agency. O’Neill most recently served as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (see previous coverage). Earlier in his career, O’Neill worked at the Department of Health and Human Services during the administration of George W. Bush. He later moved into the private sector, investing in emerging technologies, including through the Thiel Foundation’s Breakout Labs program, which supports…
ICYMI: House Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Research Security
On December 18, the House Science, Space, and Technology (SST) Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight held a hearing titled, Research Security: Examining the Implementation of the CHIPS and Science Act and NSPM-33. Witnesses included Dr. Rebecca Keiser, Acting Chief of Staff, National Science Foundation (NSF); Dr. Daniel Evans, Assistant Deputy Associate Administrator for Research, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); Dr. Patricia Valdez, Chief Extramural Research Integrity Officer, National Institutes of Health (NIH); and Mr. Jay Tilden, Director of the Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Subcommittee Chairman Rich McCormick (R-GA), joined by House SST Chairman Brian…
NSF Seeks Input on New Tech Labs Initiative—Due January 20
The National Science Foundation (NSF), through its Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) Directorate, has launched a new initiative aimed at accelerating “practical research with real-world applications.” Tech Labs will support research, development and innovation (RDI) teams “focused on overcoming persistent barriers to the commercialization of emerging technologies.” According to the announcement, these teams “will focus on technical challenges and bottlenecks that traditional university and industry labs cannot easily solve on their own.” NSF is seeking public input through a request for information. Comments are due January 20. In addition, NSF is hosting an informational webinar on January 14 (register here).
National Science Board Releases Anticipated Merit Review Report
As previously reported, the National Science Board (NSB), which is the policy-making body of the National Science Foundation (NSF), created a Commission on Merit Review in 2023 to take a fresh look at NSF’s current merit review criteria and make recommendations for potential improvement or modernization. After several delays, the Commission released its report on December 17. The report, Merit Review for a Changing Landscape, contains an in-depth evaluation of NSF’s longstanding review process and makes several recommendations, including: The release of the NSB report comes on the heels of new Merit Review rules that took effect December 15, 2025. Among the changes announced…
NSF Downsizes its Physical Location
Earlier this month the General Services Administration (GSA) announced the location of the new Alexandria, VA headquarters of the National Science Foundation (NSF). As previously reported, it was announced in July that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) would be taking over the NSF headquarters building later this year. At the time, it was not clear where NSF’s 1600 employees would be relocated. NSF will now be collocated with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), which is less than a half mile away from NSF’s current location. The announcement states the move is part of the Trump Administration’s…
Federal Agencies Reopen with Uncertainty
The 44-day government shutdown created chaos and uncertainty across federal agencies. Now that the government has reopened, federal employees are back to work but face new uncertainties about the future. Acting Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Brian Stone circulated a memo to staff outlining the agency’s plans for resuming its activities. According to the memo, priority will be placed on processing backpay for employees and restoring NSF’s capacity to make awards. However, the memo explains that as a result of the lapse in funding, the agency will not be able to administer all of its programs as planned. The memo…
ICYMI: Changes Made to NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
Last month, the National Science Foundation released the latest solicitation for its Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), which is typically made available in July. The solicitation states that it still intends to announce awards in April, consistent with previous years, despite the delay in releasing the opportunity. The deadline for social, behavioral and economic sciences, STEM education and learning, and psychology is November 12. The GRFP has seen its share of challenges over the years, most recently being the major reduction in awards in 2025 and greater emphasis on computer science among the awardees. Several concerns have been expressed by the research community in response to this…
Latest from the White House (September 16)
Federal Agencies Issue Gold Standard Science Implementation Plans As previously reported, President Trump issued an executive order (EO) in May on Restoring Gold Standard Science, which aims to address what the Administration sees as a “reproducibility crisis” caused by “falsification of data” and “highly misleading research.” As part of the order, federal science agencies were given until August 22 to develop implementation plans for ensuring compliance with guidance provided by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) in June. In response, federal science agencies have publicly posted their implementation plans. While each addressed the Gold Standard EO differently, they all…
NIH Grant Terminations Upheld, For Now
On August 21, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump Administration can once again terminate grants funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A district court overturned the original terminations in June as part of a lawsuit brought by higher education and public health associations and 16 states; however, the Supreme Court found that the district court does not have jurisdiction over the terminations. Instead, the ruling states that plaintiffs must file suit in Federal Claims court in order to receive a final decision. A similar ruling was issued in August related to grants terminated by the National Science Foundation (NSF). While the ruling leaves federal funding…
Federal Employees Continue to Speak Up
Last month, employees from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and NASA were the latest to publicly express concern about the Trump Administration’s actions at their respective agencies. In a July 21 letter to House Science Committee Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), NSF employees under the American Federation of Government Employees Local 3403 outlined eight “categories of harm” being inflicted by the Trump Administration, including staff and grant terminations, massive budget cuts, and the unannounced move from the NSF headquarters in Alexandria, VA. The letter asks the Science Committee to: (1) shield NSF employees from “politically motivated” firings; (2) end the illegal impoundment of appropriated…
Trump Administration Unveils AI Action Plan
On July 23, the Trump Administration unveiled Winning the Race: America’s AI Action Plan, which outlines future federal policy actions designed to ensure the U.S. is a leader in global Artificial Intelligence (AI) development across scientific, practical, and creative uses. The plan is divided into three pillars—Accelerating AI Innovation, Building American AI Infrastructure, and Leading in International Diplomacy and Security—with various sub-goals, including exporting American AI models, deregulating data center construction and private AI development, increasing the use of AI in the government, and cementing AI skill development as a core part of education and workforce training. The report also details plans…
SSRC, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Offer Research Relief Funding
The Social Science Research Council (SSRC), with generous support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, is offering emergency funding to principal investigators (PIs) conducting economics-related research whose federal grants have been terminated by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The Economic Research Rescue Fund is intended for PIs who received an NSF award prior to June 1, 2025 and had their award terminated, cancelled or suspended. Effected researchers can apply for funding up to $250,000 to help mitigate disruptions to the economics-related project. Full details are available here. SSRC is a COSSA member organization.
Latest from the White House (July 8)
Additional Guidance on “Gold Standard Science” As previously reported, President Trump issued an executive order (EO) in May on Restoring Gold Standard Science. On June 23, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) issued a memorandum to federal agencies providing additional guidance on how to comply with the order. Federal agencies are directed to report to OSTP on steps taken to comply with the EO by August 22. A primary criticism of the EO and accompanying guidance has less to do with the order itself—which focuses on reproducibility, transparency, unbiased peer review, and other common research tenets—and more to do with its calling for…
RFI Opportunity: NSF TIP Directorate Technology Areas, Due 7/21
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking public input into its current list of “key technology focus areas” to guide the work of the Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) Directorate. Comments are due by July 21, 2025. The TIP Directorate was created in 2022 to support “use-inspired” research with the goal of “fostering innovation and technology ecosystems, establishing translation pathways, and partnering across sectors to engage the nation’s diverse talent.” Included in its authorizing legislation was a list of ten initial key technology focus areas, set by Congress, that the Directorate was tasked to address in its first three years. These included: artificial intelligence and machine learning; high…
All Eyes on Indirect Costs
On June 17, Republican leaders of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting that the non-partisan “Congressional watchdog” conduct a comprehensive review of the indirect costs associated with federal research funding. The request comes amid increased attention by lawmakers on indirect costs following the Trump Administration’s effort to set a flat 15 percent rate for facilities and administrative (F&A) costs for grants awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Energy (DOE), NASA, and Department of Defense (see previous coverage). These efforts are currently stalled as a…