Weekly Advocacy News Roundup
News
Bipartisan Leaders Release #Cures2015 Discussion Draft as Legislative Process Continues
April 29, 2015 | Energy & Commerce Committee Press Releases
The Energy and Commerce Committee released a new discussion draft of the 21st Century Cures initiative. A legislative hearing on the bill was held this week.
- Watch a webinar on how congressional staff affect science at SfN.org.
House Appropriators Approve Subcommittee Allocations
April 24, 2015 | Association of American Medical Colleges News
The House Appropriations Committee approved FY2016 302(b) subcommittee allocations, which set spending levels for the appropriations bills. The Labor-HHS-Education subcommittee, which funds NIH, saw a 2.4 percent decrease from current levels.
- Read about the U.S. neuroscience funding process at SfN.org.
Greek Government Raids Research Funds to Pay Public Salaries
April 27 | Science Insider
The Greek Parliament approved an emergency decree that moved money from research funds to pay the salaries of public employees. The government states that it is an “interim measure,” and money will be returned later.
- Find information about global advocacy programs at SfN.org.
Articles of Interest
High-Scoring Grant Applications Yield More Highly Cited Papers
April 23, 2015 | Nature News
A new study shows that higher-scoring NIH grants result in more highly cited papers and earn more patents, suggesting that the peer-review scoring system is identifying future success of grant proposals.
- Learn more about getting your research published at SfN.org.
Why Are Teens Oblivious to the Pile of Dirty Clothes on the Bedroom Floor?
April 22, 2015 | Washington Post
Neuroscientist Frances Jensen discusses that while hormones do play a role, much of teen behavior is due to the fact that their brains are not yet fully grown.
- Read about brain development at BrainFacts.org.
Opinion
Refueling America’s Research
April 23, 2015 | Huffington Post
Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) discusses the importance of basic research funding and his support for President Obama’s NSF budget request of $7.7 billion for NSF funding.
- Visit the Advocacy Network to stay informed and take action on issues that affect neuroscience research at SfN.org.
Budget Cuts are Harder if People Know the Benefits of Research
April 23, 2015 | The Conversation
A researcher discusses how it is important for scientists to communicate what they are doing to the public and to elected officials in order to develop a “vocal base of advocates for research.”
- Watch a webinar about communicating your science to a non-scientific audience at SfN.org.
Congressional Myopia: Without Support for Research, There Will Be No Medical Breakthroughs
April 23, 2015 | Huffington Post
As federal funding for biomedical research declines, future researchers and potential medical advances will be sacrificed, and “the nation will suffer from its leadership’s myopia.”
- Find science funding advocacy tools at SfN.org.
