Advocacy Network Newsletter

Reflecting on a Successful Year for the SfN Advocacy Community

As we begin a new year, we want to highlight the various SfN advocacy programming and the great work SfN advocates were able to accomplish in 2022. SfN hosted its second annual virtual, multiday Hill Day where 65 participants held 110 meetings representing 27 states and Canada and our 2022 ECPA class participated in SfN’s second annual Congressional Days, hosting 34 meetings. SfN advocates sent nearly 1,500 messages to their Congressional representatives urging them to support a variety of issues related to biomedical research and multiple lab tours were conducted by SfN members. SfN also hosted two webinars, How to Prepare for, Defend Against, and Recover From Animal Rights Oppositional Efforts and How to Advocate for Mental Health Research , as well as organizing the Animals in Research Panel and Advocacy Forum at Neuroscience 2022 in San Diego. Moving into 2023, we look forward to hosting the 17th-annual Hill Day event, providing new opportunities for our members to participate in advocacy work, and engaging with our advocates to work toward a successful year once again for neuroscience research.

Research Agencies Receives Increase in FY2023

The FY2023 omnibus spending bill has been signed into law by President Biden three months after the start of the new fiscal year. Within the Labor-HHS-Education portion of the FY2023 omnibus, the bill provides $47.5 billion for NIH, a $2.5 billion increase (+5.6%) over FY2022 and includes no less than a 3.8% increase for each Institute and Center. It also includes $680 million for the BRAIN Initiative, a $60 million increase (+9.7%) as well as $1.5 billion for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) funded outside of the NIH base budget, a $500 million increase (+50%). The Commerce-Justice-Science portion of the FY2023 omnibus provides base funding of $9.5 billion for NSF, an increase of approximately $700 million. Combined with supplemental funding of $335 million provided to NSF through the bill, this represents a $1.036 billion increase (+12%) over FY2022, the largest dollar increase to NSF all time and the largest percentage increase in more than two decades. Lastly, the Military Construction and VA portion of the FY2023 omnibus provides $916 million for the VA Medical and Prosthetic Research Program, a $34 million increase (+3.9%) over FY2022. The $1.7 trillion bill will fund the federal government through September 30, 2023. 

BRAIN Initiative Director Highlights Neuroscience 2022

Dr. John Ngai, Director of the BRAIN Initiative, recently wrote a blog reflecting on the past year as well as looking ahead to 2023. He specifically highlighted attending Neuroscience 2022 in San Diego this past November and the fantastic science that was presented throughout the meeting. Dr. Ngai also calls attention to new endeavors for 2023 including the recently announced Brain, Behavior, Quantification and Synchronization (BBQS) project and the continued effort to have the resources and tools that grow from the BRAIN Initiative benefit all individuals of various ages and backgrounds, those who are members of NIH-designated U.S. health disparity populations, in diverse sociocultural settings, and in a range of disease states. 

Paper Published on Future of Non-human Primate Research

Several SfN members recently published a paper, Visualizing advances in the future of primate neuroscience research , in Volume 4 of Current Research in Neurobiology. The perspective piece highlights how neuroscience research involving non-human primate (NHP) models remains essential, state-of-the-art technologies are rapidly evolving for use in NHP models, and NHP models allow specific neuroscience research questions to be answered. 

Register Now for the 2023 NIH Grants Conference

The NIH will be hosting a virtual event on February 1—2, 2023, for community members new to NIH grants and/or looking to better understand the processes and policies behind NIH funding. During this 2-day live event, attendees will be able to learn about NIH grants policies, engage with NIH experts, network with fellow researchers, and gather resources. Registration is free and includes your personal “All Access Pass” to the virtual NIH Grants Conference 2022-2023 season. 

SfN Advocacy Resources

• Introduce yourself to the new Congress via the Advocacy Action Center .
• Watch the Neuroscientist’s Guide to Advocacy series to understand the tools you need to help advance the field.
• Learn how to engage your members of Congress and effectively advocate for science with SfN's Advocacy Best Practices .
• Get involved in global advocacy .
• Talk to the public about the importance of animal research .
• Reach out to advocacy@sfn.org for assistance in preparing for your next advocacy effort at home or on Capitol Hill.

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