January 2026
Spotlight
SfN Advocacy Highlights From 2025
SfN began 2025 by launching the Advocacy Response to Recent Actions by the U.S. Administration webpage, an online hub for advocacy efforts including action alerts, statements, sign-on letters, webinars, long-term campaigns, and more. It remains a resource in 2026.
In the spring, SfN welcomed 10 Early Career Policy Ambassadors from nine states to grow the next generation of NeuroAdvocates. and SfN also maintained strong outreach to Congress by co-hosting three Capitol Hill briefings, submitting outside witness testimony to three appropriations subcommittees, joining over a dozen sign-on letters, and hosting the 19th annual Capitol Hill Day in March, with 49 advocates in 57 meetings across 29 states. Following Capitol Hill Day, SfN staff, SfN’s coalition partners, and NeuroAdvocates also met with lawmakers to discuss the responsible and ethical use of animals in research, FY26 appropriations, and the BRAIN Initiative.
SfN remained active in coalition work, recognizing that partners play an important role in successful advocacy. SfN joined Americans for Medical Research, an education and media campaign organized by Research!America focused on the importance of federal investment in biomedical research. SfN also helped launch People for Effective and Ethical Research (PEER), and participated in PEER’s Hill Day. SfN also helped launch a task force, alongside the National Association for Biomedical Research, aimed at addressing concerning language surrounding the use of animals in research at the Department of Veterans Affairs in the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill.
Thank you, NeuroAdvocates, for using your voices to support the field. SfN shared stories from SfN members highlighting the real-life impacts that recent federal actions toward the scientific enterprise had on researchers, their work, and the biomedical research community. Submit your story by contacting advocacy@sfn.org.
The year concluded with connections being made at Neuroscience 2025, where NeuroAdvocates attended the Advocacy Forum and the Animals in Research Panel. This work is only possible thanks to NeuroAdvocates like you, and SfN looks forward to another year of meaningful advocacy in 2026.
SfN Advocacy
advocacy@sfn.org
Across the Field
SfN Responds to Federal Policies Affecting Biomedical Research
Stay informed on actions from the Trump administration impacting NIH and federal funding, including recent statements on the departure of Walter Koroshetz, MD, as director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).
Appropriators Release Conferenced Minibus Including FY26 NSF Funding
Congress is working through the remaining appropriations bills ahead of the current continuing resolution’s (CR) January 30 expiration. The House Appropriations Committee released a minibus that combines the Commerce, Justice, Science, Energy & Water, and Interior & Environment appropriations bills and includes funding for NSF at $8.75 billion in FY26, a $310 million decrease from FY25, but a significant increase over the level proposed in the President’s Budget Request. Congress still needs to release a conferenced Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill that includes FY26 NIH funding. SfN urges Congress to complete the FY26 appropriations process and avoid long-term CRs and government shutdowns.
HHS Secretary Kennedy Announces Commitment to End the Use of Animals in Research
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced HHS is committed to ending animal “experimentation,” citing poor human predictability from animal models and growing reliance on AI and computational methods. He said roughly 100,000 nonhuman primates are currently held in U.S. research labs, with another 20,000 imported annually, and that HHS is working to halt imports and expand nonhuman primate retirement sanctuaries following recent NIH policy changes. Additionally, Secretary Kennedy indicated HHS agencies are training researchers in the use of non-animal research methods and providing incentives for NIH researchers to retire nonhuman primates to sanctuaries. Urge health leaders to protect the responsible and ethical use of animals in research.
NIH Declines to Renew Contract for NINDS Director Koroshetz
NIH reportedly declined to renew the contract of NINDS Director Walter Koroshetz, MD, after nearly two decades of service. SfN encourages NIH and HHS to be transparent in these processes and remains committed to working with NINDS, regardless of leadership. Read statements from coalition partners on this recent news.
Court Rules NIH Cannot Lower F&A Rates for Institutions
A panel of appellate judges upheld a lower court ruling blocking NIH from implementing a 15% cap on facilities and administration (F&A) cost reimbursement rates for institutions. The decision maintains current F&A rates pending any action from Congress or the Trump Administration to alter the way these rates are calculated and applied. As these protections are only temporary, SfN expects this issue to be tackled in a larger legislative package. One proposed solution is the FAIR model from the Joint Associations Group on Indirect Costs.
SfN Dates and Deadlines
- Wednesday, January 21: The #SfN26 sessions and events call for proposals deadline.
- Friday, February 6: Deadline to nominate yourself or a colleague for SfN committee and Council positions.
- Wednesday, May 27–Wednesday, June 10: Neuroscience 2026 abstract submission period.
- Saturday, November 14–Wednesday, November 18: Neuroscience 2026 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
