With an overall funding level for the federal budget agreed to, the hard work of allocating dollars begins. How funds flow down to biomedical research remains to be seen and allocations may not be completed by the end of the federal fiscal year (September 30th). If allocations are not done by this deadline, there will likely be one or more short term continuing resolutions. The potential for a shut-down remains a possibility given the limited number of working days in September for the Hill to consider budget allocations. The new budget deal has come with the likely demise of the Budget Control Act, which had the potential for causing dramatic cuts in research funding. The elimination of this Act was welcomed by most on both sides of the aisle.  

The House and Senate are in the early stages of discussing potential legislation on the issue of foreign influence over scientific research. Efforts to date are fairly partisan with substantial differences in approaches. Topics of discussion include the creation of a nonpublic database about scientists, as well as the potential for additional cybersecurity requirements for universities. Kelvin Droegemeier, the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy recently issued a letter regarding foreign influence. Dr. Droegemeier called for the recently appointed Joint Committee on the Research Environment to play a critical role in protecting “… our research assets in a manner balanced with the openness and collaboration that has been so critical to our success.” 

The Federation for American Societies of Experimental Biology (FASEB), of which ASIP is a member, has issued the following statement on the importance of foreign collaborations. 

“Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) reaffirms the importance of and its support for international scholars to furthering discovery and innovation in the life sciences. Nearly 20 percent of the 130,000 individual scientists represented by our 29 member societies are of non-U.S. origin. As a result of continued federal investments in science and technology, the U.S. is recognized as the leading nation in these fields, attracting scientists from around the world to train and work in a broad range of research environments. International collaborations have played critical roles in numerous biological research endeavors, ranging from deciphering the human genome to stemming the spread of infectious diseases such as Ebola and Zika virus.

FASEB also recognizes the delicate balance between fostering an environment of open scientific collaboration and protecting U.S. investments and discoveries. Therefore, we welcome the opportunity to work with the leadership of federal agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Energy, as well as interested stakeholders in the research community, to develop and communicate policies that confirm appropriate utilization of critical resources and outputs and discoveries gained from those resources to ensure continued engagement of international scholars in research endeavors.”

Approved by FASEB Board of Directors, August 6, 2019

A recent NIH Notice describes policies and procedures for requesting an extension of early stage investigator status. Now, researchers may request an extension directly through eRA Commons using the ESI Extension request button (located in the Education section of your personal profile). A video on this new feature, including step-by-step instructions, is available.