Advocacy Network Newsletter

Federal News Roundup

• $2 billion for NIH and $411 million for the BRAIN Initiative were included in the recently approved House FY 20 Labor-HHS appropriations bill. SfN commends these increases and encourages Congress to swiftly pass this bill and continue the five-year trend of consistent and robust increase to the NIH budget.
• The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) launched the National Science and Technology Council Joint Committee on Improving Research Environments, which will examine: administrative burdens on federally-funded research; rigor and integrity in research; safe, inclusive, and equitable research settings; and the protection of American research assets. Details on the new committee's goals can be found in the OSTP press kit.
• Sen. Dick Durbin introduced a bill in the Senate Budget Committee, along with a House companion bill supported by Reps. Bill Foster and Lauren Underwood, to provide steady, predictable funding for breakthrough research at America’s top research agencies.
• Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives drafted a funding bill calling for $6 million to re-establish the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) with the goal of advising federal law makers on a wide range of science-related issues. Rep. Tim Ryan noted in a statement that restoring OTA “will help Congress understand technology developments and pave the way for better technology and science policy.”
• Research!America, SfN and others will host Scientific Progress and the Bayh-Dole Act: exploring the role and significance of a landmark law, June 13. The Bayh-Dole Act has played a pivotal role in funding scientific and technological progress, conveying benefits of federal funded research to the public and ensuring sustained support for federal research funding. This event will be live streamed.

Raise the Caps Campaign to Ensure U.S. Research Funding

Budget sequestration can have devastating effects for research and innovation, and the ability to perform scientific discoveries. Research!America launched a campaign urging researchers to contact their members of Congress and ask them to raise the budget caps and increase investment in U.S. science.

Droegemeier Delivers Keynote at AAAS Science and Technology Policy Forum

OSTP Director Kelvin Droegemeier delivered the keynote address at the AAAS Forum on Science and Technology Policy, focusing on his plan to “unleash discovery and innovation.” Read Droegemeier’s recent interviews with FYI Science Policy News and Science magazine on his plans to review the U.S. R&D enterprise and entice collaborations among various groups.

NIH Names Tucci as NIDCD Director

NIH Director Francis Collins announced Debara Tucci as the new director of the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), starting September 3. Tucci currently serves as professor of surgery and director of the cochlear implant program in the Division of Head and Neck Surgery and Communication Sciences at Duke University.

The Value of Animal Research and How to Increase Support

Peter Strick, chair of SfN’s Committee on Animals in Research, talks about how to more effectively advocate for working with animal models. He also describes steps to take to build public support for animal research.

How to Advocate for Science When You Don’t Have Experience

Read this interview and watch the Neuroscience 2018 recording of former Early Career Policy Ambassador (ECPA) and Vanderbilt MD/PhD student Joe Luchsinger discussing his experience as a neuroscience advocate and the importance of advocacy to members of Congress.

SfN Advocacy Resources

• Contact your legislator about research funding via the Advocacy Action Center.
• Learn how to engage your members of Congress and persuasively advocate for science with SfN's Advocacy Best Practices.
• Get involved in global advocacy
• Talk to the public about the importance of animal research.
• Download the SfN Advocacy App for your Apple or Android device to have all your advocacy resources in one place.

2019

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