In Brief
TAKE ACTION: Continue the Pressure on Congress to Provide Stable Funding to NIH and NSF
Now that Congress has passed a temporary stop-gap measure by passing a 90-day continuing resolution (CR) to keep the federal government funded through December 20. We need your help in continuing the pressure on the House and Senate to pass as robust a funding package as possible for fiscal year (FY) 2025. Congress is now out of session until after the November elections. Let them know that if the United States is to remain on the leading edge of basic and biomedical research the FY25 budget must be in line with the Senate proposals for both agencies. Take Action Now!
NIH Releases Final Scientific Integrity Policy
On September 30, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued its final Scientific Integrity Policy. Developed in response to the 2021 Presidential Memorandum on Restoring Trust in Government Through Scientific Integrity and Evidence-Based Policymaking and A Framework for Federal Scientific Policy and Practice, the final policy provides the roadmap for creating a culture of scientific integrity among agency employees. It goes into effect on December 30, 2024. A summary of how comments were addressed in the final policy was provided in the NIH Guide Notice announcing the final policy.
NSF Releases Results of Merit Review RFI
A commission formed to assess the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) process for reviewing grant applications shared its preliminary implementation guidance recently. The commission, created in 2022, represents the first comprehensive review of NSF’s merit review process in more than a decade. While the commission has indicated that NSF’s processes for reviewing research applications are of a high standard, its guidance includes calls for greater transparency and increased training for reviewers and program officers, particularly in relation to the “broader impacts” criterion that NSF uses to assess how a research proposal might benefit society.
The committee also suggests that NSF create an internal repository of solicitation-specific guidance to help identify common themes and terminology across NSF funding opportunities, require more regular reporting from awardees on criterion specific outcomes, and work to develop NSF-wide mechanisms to ensure safe and inclusive research environments. The commission’s final recommendations and implementation guidance will be shared with NSF’s governing board in December and considered for final approval by the board in February.
Applications Are Open for the Biophysical Society 2025–2026 Congressional Fellowship
Are you interested in using your science skills to inform science policy? Does spending a year working on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, helping develop policy sound exciting? The Biophysical Society’s Congressional Fellowship program is your opportunity to participate directly in the process of law-making that impacts how research is funded and regulated. This year-long opportunity provides fellows a chance to utilize their science knowledge to inform the public policy process. Fellows will gain firsthand knowledge and experience on how Congress works and participate in the esteemed AAAS Science and Technology Fellows program that provides ongoing training and networking opportunities during the fellowship year and beyond. Visit the BPS Congressional Fellowship website for more details about the program or contact Leann Fox at [email protected] or (240) 290-5606. The application deadline is December 13, 2024.