August 2022

Senate Appropriators Release FY2023 Spending Bills

The Senate Appropriations Committee has released all 12 of their FY2023 spending bills including the Labor-HHS-Education bill overseeing the NIH. The bill provides $47.95 billion for the NIH, an increase of $2 billion for all ICs over FY2022, as well as $1 billion appropriated for ARPA-H. The Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research issued a statement thanking the Committee for the increase to NIH in FY2023. Additionally, the bill provides $700 million for the BRAIN Initiative, an increase of $80 million over FY2022. The Commerce-Justice-Science spending bill provides $10.34 billion for the NSF, a historic increase of $1.5 billion over FY2022 as well as the Military Construction and VA spending bill providing $916 million for the VA Medical and Prosthetic Research Program, an increase of $34 million over FY2022. Neither chamber is expected to take additional action on their FY2023 spending bills until after Members return from recess in September, when lawmakers likely will need to pass a continuing resolution before the end of the fiscal year on September 30th.

Worried about Long-COVID? Support Primate Research

Current SfN Secretary and Director of the California National Primate Research Center, Dr. John Morrison, recently published an op-ed titled “Worried about Long-COVID? Support Primate Research” in MedCity News. Dr. Morrison discusses how non-human primates are essential to learning more about long-haul COVID-19 symptoms, yet researchers continue to face harassment and threats for their work. Read why it is critical for non-human primate research to continue and why legislators need to support scientists making life-saving advances. 

2022 ECPAs Participate in Congressional Days

Members of the 2022 Early Career Policy Ambassadors class participated in SfN’s second annual ECPA congressional days in July. In total, 13 ECPAs across 11 states met virtually with their congressional offices, taking part in 34 meetings. Discussions included the pivotal research being done by the ECPAs, the importance of continued and robust funding for biomedical research, and the critical need for the use of animals in research, including non-human primates. ECPAs continue to grow as NeuroAdvocates and gain valuable experience advocating for important issues that affect SfN members.

NSF Receives Boost from Congress

President Biden has recently signed into law the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act investing billions of dollars in domestic semiconductor manufacturing and science research, with the aim of boosting U.S. competitiveness with China and other foreign rivals. The bill provides a five-year, $81 billion authorization for the NSF including $20 billion for a Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) Directorate. The measure would also set aside 20 percent of the authorized NSF funds for 25 states and three territories that typically lack the population and financial resources to compete with bigger states for research dollars. The Coalition for National Science Funding issued a statement applauding Congress for the passage of this bill.

House Passes Bill Aimed at Supporting Long-Haul COVID-19 Research

The House has passed the Brycen Gray and Ben Price COVID-19 Cognitive Research Act (H.R.7180) which directs the NSF to award competitive, merit-reviewed grants to eligible entities to support interdisciplinary research on the disruption of regular cognitive processes associated with both short-term and long-term COVID-19 infections, including with respect to children and adolescents. It also directs the NSF enter into an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study and produce a report on the disruption of cognitive processes associated with COVID-19 infection. The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration. 

Emerging Animal Rights Campaign Trends/Tips for Ensuring Your Organization Is Prepared

Americans for Medical Progress (AMP) is hosting a webinar, Emerging Animal Rights Campaign Trends/Tips for Ensuring Your Organization Is Prepared for What’s Next, on Wednesday, August 17th at 1:00pm ET. Animal rights organizations are constantly inventing and evolving new communications and legal strategies in their efforts to end or impede necessary biomedical research in animals. Join the conversation to identify new and emerging animal rights trends, offer suggestions on how to minimize your risk in becoming a primary target for an activist campaign, provide tips for managing/countering both emerging and longtime animal rights activism tools and much more.

Civic Engagement Microgrant Program

Applications for Research!America’s 2022-2023 Civic Engagement Microgrant Program are now available. Microgrants of up to $4,000 will be awarded to STEM graduate student and postdoc-led groups to design and execute projects that create dialogue with public officials, local community leaders, and the public around issues of common concern. The Program welcomes novel ideas and programs for early career researchers to support building policy and communication skills and increase their level of engagement with their communities, community leaders, and elected and non-elected government officials. Applications close on Wednesday, August 24th. 

Invest in the Future: Policy Strategies that Support Healthy Child Brain Development

Register now for a virtual congressional briefing, Invest in the Future: Policy Strategies that Support Healthy Child Brain Development, on Tuesday, September 13th from 2:00 – 3:30pm ET. Co-hosted by the National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives (NPSC) and the FRONTIER program at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG) at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, leading scientists whose work focuses on infant and early childhood brain development will discuss the science of early brain development, studies that examine how measures of brain function are indicators of improved academic social and self-regulation skills later in childhood, and the evidence for the positive effects of modest economic support for young families.

2022 Rally for Medical Research

Join your fellow advocates from around the country for the 2022 Rally for Medical Research taking place in-person on Wednesday, September 14th with a reception being held the evening before for all participants to celebrate medical research as a community. Advocates will meet with their congressional representatives and staff to discuss why funding for NIH should continue to be a national priority and raise awareness about the importance of continued investment in medical research.

2022 Research!America National Health Research Forum

Registration is now open for Research!America’s virtual 2022 National Health Research Forum on Monday, September 19th – Tuesday, September 20th with an in-person reception on Wednesday, September 21st in Washington D.C. The theme of the Forum is Straight Talk: Then, Now, Imagine where leaders across the health, policy, and advocacy space will discuss what we’ve learned from health threats, what can be done to get ahead of the next major threat, and how we can build on the progress we’ve made to bolster the pace and reach of progress going forward.

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.