April 2019
Federal News Roundup
- The Trump administration's FY20 budget request proposes a 13 percent cut to NSF and a 12 percent cut to NIH, among other agencies.
- The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) compiled a high-level review of R&D spending in the FY20 White House Budget showing research funding across multiple federal agencies and disciplines.
- NIH Director Francis Collins recently testified in front of both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate Appropriation Subcommittees on the NIH Budget Request for FY20.
- A recently released report found that spending on NIH funding as a share of GDP in 2019 is still 12 percent below 2003 levels.
- A new bill, the Building Blocks of STEM Act, instructs NSF to fund research studying factors that discourage or encourage girls to engage in STEM activities.
- Scientists from China, Germany and Canada built two international cooperation platforms on neuroscience to promote scientific achievements.
Congressional Testimony Submitted by SfN President
SfN President Diane Lipscombe submitted testimony to the congressional committees overseeing NIH and NSF funding. She requested that Congress increase NIH funding to $41.6 billion and NSF funding to $9 billion for FY20. The president also asked Congress to pass the budget on time to avoid delays in scientific research. Read Lipscombe’s full testimony.
Workshop on Improving Openness in Animal Research
“Improving Openness in Animal Research in Germany,” a workshop series from the European Research Association sharing best practices for communicating about animal research, is now available on Neuronline.
Congressional BRAIN Investigator Reception
SfN, along with the American Brain Coalition, the Kavli Foundation, the Simons Foundation, and the Allen Institute, hosted a Congressional BRAIN Investigator Reception on Capitol Hill to celebrate the BRAIN Initiative and the researchers who are advancing our understanding of the brain. Speakers included Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Congressional Neuroscience Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, as well as several NIH and NSF institute directors.
Webinar on Animal Law and the Animal Research Community
The National Association for Biomedical Research (NABR) will hold a webinar Tuesday, April 23, on Animal Law and the Animal Research Community. University of California Davis Professor Emeritus Jerrold Tannenbaum will discuss the recent emergence of the new field of animal law, as well as the threat this field poses to animal research.
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.
