January 2020

Year in Wrap

SfN advocates and the biomedical research community had massive success in 2019, with increases to NIH and NSF for the fifth consecutive year. SfN members played a significant part in legislative efforts, participating in 83 legislative meetings during Hill Day, sending nearly 2,000 messages, and hosting eight lab tours for members of Congress. SfN is also appreciative that, within the NIH appropriations bill, Congress recognized the importance of animal models used in biomedical research.

SfN staff conducted advocacy training seminars for more than 215 NeuroAdvocates in person, created an online collection of advocacy training videos, and launched the NeuroAdvocate Challenge. These activities will go on throughout 2020 as SfN continues its work to highlight neuroscience research as a critical investment with Congress. The Society thanks all who have supported and joined in its advocacy efforts, and looks forward to a constructive 2020.

NeuroAdvocate Challenge: January 2020

Advocate alongside SfN through January 2020 by signing up today. Participants will be recognized and entered into a drawing to attend the 2021 SfN Capitol Hill Day.

Start or continue your NeuroAdvocate efforts this January by:

• Connecting with your local or national neuroscience society.
• Asking your Representative to join the Congressional Neuroscience Caucus and Senators to join the NIH Caucus if they have not already done so.

Make sure to record any completed activities from last year for recognition.

Federal News Roundup

Congress passed and the President signed into law appropriations for all government agencies, avoiding a devastating government shutdown. NIH received a $2.6 billion dollar increase, making their total funding $41.7 billion. NSF also received an increase and will be funded at $8.28 billion for FY 2020. Medical research programs within the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs also received funding increases. Read SfN’s full statement to learn more.

Reminder: ECPA Application Deadline Approaching

Apply for SfN's Early Career Policy Ambassadors (ECPA) Program by Friday, January 10 at 11:59 a.m. EST. This year-long program allows early career undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, graduate students, and recent PhD/MD recipients to enhance their advocacy skills with the neuroscience community, policymakers, and the public.

Foreign Influence in Research as Reported by JASON

At the request of NSF, JASON recently released “Fundamental Research Security,” a report on the risks of foreign influence in U.S. research. The report states that the academic community needs to do more to protect domestic research, and gives suggestions to comply with existing regulations and laws. NSF released a statement and Congress approved the creation of two new Department of Defense bodies to tackle foreign influence on U.S. research.

EARA In France

The European Animal Research Association (EARA) is discussing ways to improve openness in communications about animal research with the general public, political decision makers, and opinion formers in France. The free event will be held January 28 from 13:30-16:30 CET at the Institute of Science Cognitives Marc Jeannerod. SfN and the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies are supporters to this workshop.

International News Headlines

• All major parties in the UK have discussed increasing research funding as the country prepares to leave the EU.
• The fifth annual report of the UK Concordat on Openness on Animal Research was recently released, highlighting progress made and best practices for animal research transparency.
• China, in a bid to improve the quality and respectability of home-grown journals, is investing more than 200 million yuan in some 280 publications.

SfN Advocacy Resources

• Apply now to be an Early Career Policy Ambassador.
• Contact your legislator about research funding 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 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.
• Reach out to advocacy@sfn.org for assistance in preparing for your next advocacy effort at home or on Capitol Hill.