A staple since COSSA’s earliest days, the biweekly COSSA Washington Update newsletter provides members and the public with comprehensive coverage of policy developments impacting social and behavioral science research.
COSSA and Partners Urge Strong FY 2017 Funding for Science Agencies
Now that appropriations season is underway, COSSA has begun working with its coalition partners to urge strong support for agencies that fund social and behavioral science research in fiscal year (FY) 2017. Some of the most recent requests include: 3/3/2016: FY 2017 Appropriations Request for the Bureau of Economic Analysis 3/3/2016: Coalition for International Education FY 2017 Appropriations Request for International Education and Foreign Language Studies, House/Senate 3/1/2016: CDC Coalition FY 2017 Request for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2/25/2016: Friends of IES FY 2017 Appropriations Request for the Institute of Education Sciences, House/Senate 2/22/2016: FY 2017 302(b)…
OBSSR to Develop “Revised, Contemporary Definition of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research”
As part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) strategic planning process to update its 2007 strategic plan for fiscal years (FY) 2016-2020, the Office plans to reconsider NIH’s definition of behavioral and social sciences (BSSR). In his recent OBSSR Connector blog post, OBSSR Director William Riley explained that the office is Congressionally mandated to “define behavioral and social sciences research to assess and monitor NIH funding.” As a consequence, the current definition “resulted in a high level taxonomy of BSSR and delineates basic versus applied behavioral and social sciences research with a range…
National Children’s Study Archive Available to Investigators
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development issued a Notice (NOT-HD-16-005) to alert investigators of the availability of the National Children’s Study (NCS) Vanguard Data and Sample Archive and Access System (NCS Archive). The NCS Vanguard served as a pilot for “a planned cohort study of environmental influences on child health and development.” The Vanguard pilot enrolled more than 14,000 participants in more than 5,000 families in 40 locations and followed them until 2014. It includes a collection of more than “14 million records and nearly 19,000 biological and 5,500 primary samples from which a…
NIA Requests Input on Alzheimer’s Disease Bypass Budget Implementation
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is seeking input into the development of the fiscal year (FY) 2018 NIH Alzheimer’s Disease Bypass Budget (ADBB). Annual updates to the ADBB are Congressionally mandated (see Update, November 3, 2015). NIA seeks comments and suggestions from the public “on the current state of the science, the highest priorities for future research, and potential conceptual or technical barriers to overcome.” According to the recently released Notice (NOT-AG-16-017), the FY 2018 ADBB will be consistent with the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease and include Alzheimer’s disease and…
NCA to Hold Discussion on Citizenship in America
The National Communication Association (NCA), one of COSSA’s governing members, will host a Washington, DC event on March 22, addressing the question “What does it mean to be a citizen in contemporary America?” The discussion will feature input from scholars whose work touches on the meaning and power of American “citizenship,” including Elisabeth R. Anker (George Washington University), Robert Asen (University of Wisconsin), Elizaeth Markovits (Mount Holyoke College), and Eric King Watts (University of North Carolina). More information is available on NCA’s website. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
Funding Opportunity Announcements
RWJF: Culture of Health in America – new Change Leadership programs: Clinical Scholars, Interdisciplinary Research Leaders, Health Policy Research Scholars, Culture of Health Leaders NIH Opportunities: NIMH: Notice of Availability of Administrative Supplements to NIMH-supported Research for FY2016, (NOT-MH-16-005) NIMH: Pragmatic Strategies for Assessing Psychotherapy Quality in Practice (R01), (RFA-MH-17-500) NIGMS: Modeling of Infectious Disease Agent Study Research Projects (R01), (PA-16-107) NIBIB/NICHD: Team-Based Design in Biomedical Engineering Education (R25), (PAR-16-108) NIGMS: Bridges to the Doctorate (R25), (PAR-16-109) NIGMS: Bridges to the Baccalaureate (R25), (PAR-16-110) NIGMS: Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Awards (IRACDA) (K12), (PAR-16-103) NIDA: Services Planning Research in…
Events Calendar
American Psychosomatic Society Annual Scientific Meeting, Denver, CO, March 9-12, 2016 COSSA Annual Meeting & Social and Behavioral Science Advocacy Day, Washington, DC, March 15-16, 2016 What does it mean to be a citizen in contemporary America? Washington, DC, March 22, 2016 Southwestern Social Science Association Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, NV, March 22-27, 2016 Midwest Sociological Society Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, March 23-26, 2016 Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, March 28-April 2, 2016 Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, March 29-April 2, 2016 Society of Behavioral Medicine Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, March 20-April 2,…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 35 Issue 4
Featured News COSSA’s Analysis of the President’s FY 2017 Budget There’s Still Time to Register for the 2016 COSSA Annual Meeting on March 15-16! Congressional News “National Interest” Bill Passes the House Federal Agency & Administration News NCHS Seeks Input on Update to NHIS NIJ to Hold Webinars on Upcoming Solicitations Publications & Community Events Join COSSA for a Celebration of Social and Behavioral Science on March 15 Funding Opportunity Announcements COSSA Member Spotlight Haskins, Sawhill Win 2016 Moynihan Prize Events Calendar
COSSA’s Analysis of the President’s FY 2017 Budget
President Obama released his fiscal year (FY) 2017 budget request to Congress on February 9. The request proposes increases for many of the federal agencies and programs important to the COSSA community. COSSA has prepared an in-depth analysis of the request as it relates to social and behavioral science research supported by the federal government. The report includes details on the President’s proposals for the dozens of departments, agencies, and programs of interest to social and behavioral science researchers. With the release of the President’s budget, the FY 2017 appropriations process heads into high gear. The big question now is…
There’s Still Time to Register for the 2016 COSSA Annual Meeting on March 15-16!
A near-final agenda for the 2016 COSSA Annual Meeting is now available. Check out our excellent lineup of speakers and register today! Remember, if you work for a COSSA member organization, you are eligible for a discount. Contact Julia Milton for the discount code. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
“National Interest” Bill Passes the House
Despite opposition from many in the scientific community and a veto-threat from the White House, the House of Representatives passed the Scientific Research in the National Interest Act (H.R. 3293) on February 10 by a vote of 236-178. The bill, which is sponsored by Chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee Lamar Smith (R-TX), seeks to set a definition for federally-funded research conducted in the “national interest.” The language of the bill was derived from Sec. 106 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2015 (H.R. 1806), which passed the House in May despite wide-spread, vocal opposition from…
NCHS Seeks Input on Update to NHIS
The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) plans to update one of its major surveys, the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), in 2018. The goals of the redesign are “to improve the measurement of covered health topics, to reduce respondent burden by shortening the length of the questionnaire, to harmonize overlapping content with other federal health surveys, to establish a long-term structure of ongoing and periodic topics, and to incorporate advances in survey methodology and measurement.” NCHS welcomes input from the scientific community on the proposed survey design and content. Instructions and more information are available on the NCHS website….
NIJ to Hold Webinars on Upcoming Solicitations
The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has announced that it will be holding six webinars to discuss new or altered solicitations in 2016. Registration for the first webinar, on Elder Abuse Prevention, is currently open. The other topics to be covered by the webinars are Testing and Interpretation of Physical Evidence in Publicly Funded Forensic Labs; Violence Against Women Consortium; DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction; Building Knowledge About Preventing Domestic Radicalization and Violent Extremism in the U.S.; and New Investigator/Early Career Program in the Social and Behavioral Sciences. More information about the webinar series is available on NIJ’s website….
Join COSSA for a Celebration of Social and Behavioral Science on March 15
COSSA will be hosting a Capitol Hill reception on March 15 in conjunction with the COSSA Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. Join us for drinks and hors d’oeuvres at the Celebration of Social and Behavioral Science from 6:00 to 8:00 pm in the Rayburn House Office Building. During the event, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) will be presented with the COSSA Distinguished Service Award for her steadfast support and defense of the social and behavioral sciences. RSVP is requested by March 9. The event is generously co-hosted by SAGE Publications and sponsored by the American Educational Research Association, Midwest Political…
Funding Opportunity Announcements
NIJ: Research and Evaluation on Institutional Corrections (NIJ-2016-9086) NIJ: Research and Evaluation in Support of the Recommendations of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing (NIJ-2016-9095) NIJ: Research on Bias Crimes (NIJ-2016-8979) NIJ: FY16 Visiting Fellows Program (NIJ-2016-8890) IARPA: Crowdsourcing Evidence, Argumentation, Thinking and Evaluation (CREATE) (IARPA-BAA-15-11) Back to this issue’s table of contents.
Haskins, Sawhill Win 2016 Moynihan Prize
The American Academy of Political and Social Science (AAPSS), a COSSA member, has announced the winners of the 2016 Daniel Patrick Moynihan Prize, which is given annually to “a leading policy-maker, social scientist or public intellectual whose career demonstrates the value of using social science evidence to advance the public good.” This year’s winners are Ron Haskins and Isabel Sawhill, both of the Brookings Institution, who are recognized for their influential research on inequality and poverty. They are scheduled to give a public lecture on Capitol Hill on May 12 and will be honored at an event later that evening….
Events Calendar
American Psychosomatic Society Annual Scientific Meeting, Denver, CO, March 9-12, 2016 COSSA Annual Meeting & Social and Behavioral Science Advocacy Day, Washington, DC, March 15-16, 2016 Southwestern Social Science Association Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, NV, March 22-27, 2016 Midwest Sociological Society Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, March 23-26, 2016 Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, March 28-April 2, 2016 Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, March 29-April 2, 2016 Society of Behavioral Medicine Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, March 20-April 2, 2016 Population Association of America Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, March 31-April 2, 2016 Association for Asian…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 35 Issue 3
Featured News President Rolls Out FY 2017 Budget Request, Kicks Off Annual Funding Battle Preliminary Agenda Released for COSSA Annual Meeting; Rates Increase February 15! NEW! University Rankings for Social Science Funding COSSA in Action Not Yet a COSSA Member? Join the Team! COSSA Updates State SBS Funding Fact Sheets COSSA Joins the Call for OAR Working Group on HIV/Substance Use Disorders Research Congressional News “National Interest” Bill Heads for House Vote Dyslexia Research Bill Heads to the President’s Desk Federal Agency & Administration News White House Announces National Cancer Moonshot Task Force Human Subjects Advisory Committee Seeking New Members…
President Unveils FY 2017 Budget Request, Kicks Off Annual Funding Battle
The Obama Administration has started releasing details of its final budget request to Congress. Full details of the request for fiscal year (FY) 2017 will continue to roll out over the coming days. COSSA is preparing an in-depth analysis of the request as it pertains to social science programs across the federal government. It is important to note that the President’s request for FY 2017 includes new mandatory spending at several agencies, which would largely account for the increases to these agencies. Details so far include: The National Science Foundation (NSF) would receive nearly $8 billion in FY 2017 (including…
Preliminary Agenda Released for COSSA Annual Meeting; Rates Increase February 15!
Registration rates for the 2016 COSSA Annual Meeting and 2nd Annual Social and Behavioral Science Advocacy Day on March 15-16 will increase on February 15. In addition, the hotel block for out-of-town attendees closes on February 15. Register and make your reservation today! Note: Individuals who work for COSSA member organizations are eligible for a members-only registration rate. Email jmilton@cossa.org for details on how to get your member discount. A preliminary agenda for the meeting is now available. Several sessions are still under development—check back soon for a complete listing of speakers and topics. ABOUT THE COSSA MEETING – The…