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.
Events Calendar
14th Annual AERA Brown Lecture in Education Research With Alfredo J. Artiles, October 19, 2017, Washington, DC The Lunch @ DC: How Evidence Can Transform the Fight Against Poverty, October 19, 2017, Washington, DC Council on Social Work Education Annual Program Meeting, October 19-22, 2017, Dallas, TX American Psychosomatic Society Mid-Year Meeting: Emotions in Social Relationships: Implications for Health and Disease, October 20-21, 2017, Berkeley, CA Fall 2017 Henry and Bryna David Lecture – Child Support in the Age of Complex Families: It’s Critical, but it’s Broken, October 26, 2017, Washington, DC Making Sure Kids Count in the Big Count: Census…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 36 Issue 19
Featured News HOT TOPIC: New NIH “Clinical Trials” Definition to Impact Basic Social and Behavioral Science Research COSSA in Action Tomorrow: Social Science Solutions for Health, Public Safety, Computing, and Other National Priorities Research!America Answers “Why Social Science?” Federal Agency & Administration News GAO Recommends Changes to NSF Indirect Cost Guidance HHS Requests Comments on Draft Strategic Plan NSF Releases Video on Social Science Research’s Importance to Disaster Preparedness NSF Releases Dear Colleague Letters on Research Methodologies for STEM Education and Broadening Participation in Science NSF Extends Application Deadline for Director of Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences Position Publications…
HOT TOPIC: New NIH “Clinical Trials” Definition to Impact Basic Social and Behavioral Science Research
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been working for the last few years to enhance its stewardship of and increase transparency over the clinical trials it funds. The agency, which is the largest funder of clinical trials in the U.S., issued a Notice of Revised NIH Definition of “Clinical Trial” (NOT-OD-15-015) in late 2014 laying out a new, expanded definition to govern which research projects are to be categorized as a “clinical trial” from here on out. While this change has been in process for the last few years, it wasn’t until more recently that the biomedical and behavioral…
GAO Recommends Changes to NSF Indirect Cost Guidance
A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Actions Needed to Improve Oversight of Indirect Costs for Research, finds that the National Science Foundation (NSF) “does not consistently take steps to ensure it pays no more than its fair share of indirect costs.” Indirect costs, also referred to as facilities and administrative (F&A) costs, represent the portion of NSF awards that cover operational costs, such as maintenance, rent, and utilities. The report notes that while NSF has produced guidance for setting indirect cost rates, it is not implemented consistently. The report makes recommendations to ensure NSF staff follow its…
HHS Requests Comments on Draft Strategic Plan
The Department of Health and Human Services has invited comments on its draft strategic plan for fiscal years (FY) 2018-2022. The plan describes how the Department plans to advance its mission according to five strategic goals: “(1) Reform, Strengthen, and Modernize the Nation’s Health Care System; (2) Protect the Health of Americans Where They Live, Learn, Work, and Play; (3) Strengthen the Economic and Social Well-Being of Americans across the Lifespan; (4) Foster Sound, Sustained Advances in Sciences; and (5) Promote Effective and Efficient Management and Stewardship.” HHS is accepting comments through October 26, 2017. More information is available in…
NSF Releases Video on Social Science Research’s Importance to Disaster Preparedness
The National Science Foundation (NSF) released a video on September 15 highlighting the contributions of the social sciences in disaster preparedness and response. The video explains that together with improvements in the science of forecasting, social science has helped more effectively communicate the potential risk of natural disasters and more effectively respond after disasters hit. The video is among a suite of new resource posted to the NSF website highlighting the many contributions of basic science to everyday life. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
NSF Releases Dear Colleague Letters on Research Methodologies for STEM Education and Broadening Participation in Science
The Education and Human Resources Directorate (EHR) of the National Science Foundation (NSF) released a Dear Colleague Letter on September 19 announcing their intention to support fundamental research on methodologies that support valid inferences in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. The letter also includes invitations to submit proposals on a variety of aspects of research methodology for a variety of grant types, including conference proposals or early-stage research. More information can be found here. EHR also released a Dear Colleague Letter on September 26 in partnership with the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate (SBE) to announce their…
NSF Extends Application Deadline for Director of Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences Position
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking candidates for the Director of the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (BCS) within the Directorate of Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE). The BCS Director is responsible for providing leadership and direction to the Division and implementing overall strategic planning. The BCS Division provides funding for research that helps advance scientific knowledge about the brain, human cognition, language, social behavior, and culture. Applications must be submitted by October 29, 2017. The position requirements can be found on USAJobs. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
National Academies Calls for Nominations for Committee to Assess the Minerva Research Initiative
The Board of Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences (BBCSS) at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine announced a new project funded by the Department of Defense to assess its Minerva Research Initiative. The Minerva Initiative is a Department of Defense-sponsored university-based social science research program that supports basic research to better understand the social, cultural, behavioral, and political forces that shape the world, including international conflicts. BBCSS is seeking applications for committee members who will lead this assessment. More information can be found here, and applications for committee membership can be submitted here. Back to this issue’s table…
SBS Graduate Training Workshop Proceedings Published
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has published the proceedings of a workshop held in June 2017, Graduate Training in the Social and Behavioral Sciences. The workshop was convened by the Academies’ Board on Science Education and sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. The workshop focused on how graduate education in the social and behavioral sciences can adapt to increasing focuses on interdisciplinarity and changing workforce needs. The workshop summary and a webcast of the workshop are available on the Academies’ website. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
Funding Opportunity Announcements
NSF: Cyberlearning for Work at the Human-Technology Frontier (NSF 17-598) Back to this issue’s table of contents.
Events Calendar
Why Social Science? Congressional Briefing on Social Science Solutions for Health, Public Safety, Computing, and Other National Priorities, October 4, 2017, Washington, DC The Lunch @ DC: The Promise of Evidence-Based Policymaking: Recommendations of the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking, October 5, 2017, Washington, DC American Statistical Association Symposium on Statistical Inference, October 11-13, 2017, Bethesda, MD National Research Summit on Care, Services and Supports for Persons with Dementia and Their Caregivers, October 16-17, 2017, Bethesda, MD 14th Annual AERA Brown Lecture in Education Research With Alfredo J. Artiles, October 19, 2017, Washington, DC The Lunch @ DC: How Evidence Can Transform the Fight Against…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 36 Issue 18
Featured News House Passes Omnibus Spending Bill Along with Problematic NSF Amendment COSSA in Action The Computing Research Association Answers “Why Social Science?” Congressional News Senate Labor-HHS-Education Bill Approved by Committee Federal Agency & Administration News Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking Releases Final Report NSF Releases Dear Colleague Letter on Proposals Related to Hurricane Harvey COSSA Member Spotlight Annual AERA Brown Lecture to Feature Alfredo J. Artiles AAPSS Accepting Nominations for 2019 Moynihan Prize Events Calendar
House Passes Omnibus Spending Bill Along with Problematic NSF Amendment
After two weeks of debate and votes on hundreds of amendments, the House of Representatives has passed an omnibus spending bill for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018, consisting of all twelve spending bills. The omnibus includes the same funding levels for social science research as the Commerce-Justice-Science and Labor-Health and Human Services-Education bills that were passed by the House Appropriations Committee. While the proposed funding levels were moderately good for social and behavioral science research, the House approved an amendment proposed by Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX), the chair of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, that could be detrimental to the…
Senate Labor-HHS-Education Bill Approved by Committee
On September 7, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved its fiscal year (FY) 2018 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) Appropriations Bill; the Labor-HHS Subcommittee advanced the bill on September 5. This bill contains annual funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Education (ED), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), among other federal departments and agencies. The House Appropriations Committee passed its version of the bill on July 19; the bill recently passed the House as part of a 12-bill…
Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking Releases Final Report
On September 7, the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking (CEP) released its final report, The Promise of Evidence-Based Policymaking. The Commission was established by the bipartisan Evidence-Based Policymaking Commission Act of 2016, which had been introduced by Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) in the House and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) in the Senate. The Commission consisted of 15 members appointed by the President, Speaker of the House, House Minority Leader, Senate Majority Leader, and Senate Minority Leader, with five members being selected for their privacy expertise. Katharine G. Abraham, University of Maryland, chaired the Commission, with Ron Haskins, Brookings Institution, as her…
NSF Releases Dear Colleague Letter on Proposals Related to Hurricane Harvey
The National Science Foundation (NSF) released a Dear Colleague letter on September 1 encouraging submissions of proposals that seek to address challenges related to Hurricane Harvey. This includes proposals that address how to better prepare for storms, the human aspects of natural disasters, improving emergency response, and ways to reduce future damage. Proposals may be submitted as rapid response research grants, early-concept grants, or supplemental funding to existing grants. More information can be found here. Back to this issue’s table of contents.