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SPRING 2009
Washington Research Update is a quarterly e-newsletter that provides business leaders in the biomedical community with the latest updates on federal funding for biomedical research.
America’s biomedical industry relies on a strong federal research investment, butrecent years of flat funding demonstrate the need for an innovative approach to biomedical research advocacy. The Society for Neuroscience (SfN), the world’s largest organization of scientists and clinicians who study the brain and nervous system, invites the biomedical research industry to join forces to advocate for federal support of basic and applied biomedical research.
In this issue:
Federal Budget FY2009, FY2010, and Beyond: Harnessing the Momentum
Congress and the administration finished the FY2009 appropriations process with the enactment of the FY2009 omnibus appropriations bill on March 11. The legislation includes $30.3 billion, $938 million above last year’s level, for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and $6.5 billion, $363 million above FY2008, for the National Science Foundation (NSF). The bill funds federal agencies through September 30, 2009.
Lawmakers have begun to focus on FY2010. President Obama released on May 7 his FY2010 budget, which provides $31 billion for NIH and $7 billion for NSF, and appropriations hearings have started on Capitol Hill. SfN is supporting advocacy partner Research!America’s call to sustain visionary science funding with a recommendation of at least a 10 percent increase for the NIH budget in FY2010, seeking to reach $40 billion as soon as possible. SfN also supports $7 billion for NSF, which is the same amount provided in the President's proposed budget. These figures build on the historic American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding and can help ensure that America seizes and builds on the scientific momentum emerging from ARRA.
Biomedical research industry leaders can make their voices heard on Capitol Hill. Ask members to support strong, sustained increases for science
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The Economy and Funding for Biomedical Research
How will the nation’s struggling economy affect the biomedical research community? SfN’s state fact sheets include state-specific data on NIH-supported research and its economic benefits. NIH funding is a major economic stimulus in local communities, producing well-paying jobs that can make an immediate impact:
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Biomedical Research Spurs High-Wage Job Growth: In 2007, NIH grants and contracts created and supported more than 350,000 jobs that generated wages in excess of $18 billion in the 50 states. The average wage associated with the jobs created was $52,000, nearly 25 percent higher than the average U.S. wage.
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Scientific Research Builds Stronger Communities: Between 80 and 90 percent of NIH’s $29 billion annual budget funds research in local U.S. communities – universities, medical research centers, hospitals and independent research institutes in every state in the U.S.
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NIH Funding Enhances States’ Economic Health: Every dollar of NIH funding generated more than twice as much in state economic output: an overall investment of $22.846 billion from NIH generated a total of $50.537 billion in new state business in the form of increased output of goods and services.
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Q&A with Charles A. Sanders, M.D., Chairman of the Board of Directors, Foundation for the National Institutes of Health
Charles Sanders, former chairman and CEO of Glaxo Inc., is the current Chairman of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Sanders has also served as vice chairman of Squibb Corp., general director of Massachusetts General Hospital, and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.
SfN: As the Chairman of FNIH, you are a leading advocate for public-private biomedical research partnerships. Why do you feel it is important for the public and private sectors to collaborate?
Sanders: To accomplish the goals of the 21st century, biomedical science – which is very interdisciplinary, utilizes sophisticated state-of-the-art technologies, and is becoming increasingly expensive – public-private research partnerships are essential. Both the public and private sectors of a partnership benefit. Both partners' funds are leveraged so that the scope of a project can expand beyond what either partner could do individually. An example might be a partnership to expand a clinical study beyond an initial number of years and thereby gather additional scientific data on a disease or treatment protocol that, once the data is put in the public domain, benefits everyone. Or the number of participants in a study might be expanded for additional validation. Partnerships can offer unique organizational structures that bring public and private partners together to share ideas on large, significant issues. Our Biomarkers Consortium is an example of such a program. It has broad participation from stakeholders across the health enterprise - government, industry, academia, patient advocacy and other non-profit private sector organizations - working together to identify, develop, and qualify biomarkers to support new drug development, preventive medicine, and medical diagnostics.
SfN: How does strong federal funding for biomedical research benefit private industry?
Sanders: Strong federal funding provides the resources to undertake basic scientific research initiatives of national importance and scope. Private organizations typically engage in the application of scientific knowledge and do not have the interest, capacity, or resources to pursue basic research. Federally funded biomedical research is also essential to the private sector because the research results from federally supported projects are put in the public domain and thus benefit all. We are fortunate in the United States to have the NIH, the strongest public biomedical research institution in the world. The NIH’s extramural and intramural research programs do more to increase our basic biomedical knowledge base than those of any other entity in the world. The private sector has a level playing field to access and build upon this knowledge base, supporting further research and development activities that lead to new commercial products and procedures. Furthermore, through its intramural and extramural training programs, NIH is continually building a strong, capable biomedical research workforce for both the public and private sectors.
SfN: Are there new, persuasive arguments that scientists, patients, industry, and others can make to their representatives to demonstrate the importance of federal science funding?
Sanders: Not necessarily new, but certainly there are continuing strong arguments that federal funding for biomedical research is of critical importance in maintaining and growing the United States’ position as a global leader in science and innovation. Federal funding for biomedical research and the highly skilled, technical jobs that it creates allows the U.S. to compete effectively in the global economy. And, most importantly, federal funding for biomedical research ultimately saves lives, and improves the health and well-being of people both in the U.S and around the world.
SfN: What opportunities do you see for the research community to capitalize on the momentum gained from the economic stimulus package to effectively address public health issues, including life sciences research funding?
Sanders: The economic stimulus package, and the portion of it that went to NIH, provides significant opportunities for the research community to make up for some lost ground. The flat NIH budget of the past six years, which actually translated into funding decreases when inflation is taken into account, has presented serious challenges to our nation’s research progress in furthering our ability to treat and manage many serious diseases. The economic stimulus, and the renewed focus on the importance of science and technology it provides, will reinvigorate the research community and encourage more innovative, cutting-edge research into our understanding of disease mechanisms and ultimately new approaches to preventing, treating and managing disease. The impact of this stimulus will be felt not only by medical researchers, but also by the communities in which they work and train for careers in medicine.
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Stay Informed
The biomedical business industry and research community can be a powerful advocate for federal research funding. SfN encourages you to stay informed about the issues facing the research community. To become more active, contact advocacy@sfn.org.
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