The House also passed its first FYFiscal Year 2013 spending bill, which provides research funding for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NISTNational Institute of Standards and Technology), the National Science Foundation (NSFNational Science Foundation), the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAANational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). The Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) bill was approved in a 247 to 163 vote. Several amendments affecting research accounts were adopted during floor consideration, including one that would cut all funding for political science research at the NSFNational Science Foundation, one that would cut cross-agency support at NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration by $126 million to fund a Department of Justice program, and others that would reduce funding for climate change research and education at NSFNational Science Foundation and NOAANational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The House did defeat a concerning amendment, introduced by Rep. Flake (R-AZ), which would have cut $1.2 billion (17 percent!) from the NSFNational Science Foundation, in order to offset the federal deficit.

The White House has threatened to veto the CJS spending bill, given that its top line number does not comport with the overall FYFiscal Year 2013 number agreed to in the Budget Control Act last summer.  While the Senate Appropriations Committee has approved its version of the bill, it is not clear when that bill will go to the Senate floor.

The House and Senate Appropriations Committees will consider FYFiscal Year 2013 spending this week for some defense accounts, the Department of Homeland Security (DHSDepartment of Homeland Security, including its Science and Technology Directorate), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPAEnvironmental Protection Agency) (more info below).

Also of Note

Appointments. ScienceInsider reports that Dr. Arun Majumdar, Acting Undersecretary of Energy and Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-EAdvanced Research Projects Agency--Energy) at the Department of Energy (DOEDepartment of Energy), announced his resignation, effective immediately. Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs, David Sandalow, will serve as Acting Under Secretary, while ARPA-EAdvanced Research Projects Agency--Energy Deputy Director, Eric Toone, will serve as Acting Director of ARPA-EAdvanced Research Projects Agency--Energy.

Nature’s news blog reports that Dr. Sonny Ramaswamy was sworn in as the new director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFANational Institute of Food and Agriculture).

Appropriations. The House Appropriations Committee released the FYFiscal Year 2013 defense spending bill which, according to the committee press release, “contains $70 billion – $2.4 billion below last year’s level and $576 million above the President’s request – for research, development, testing, and evaluation (RDT&E) of new defense technologies.” RDT&E includes basic and applied research, and is broken down by service (see bill text for more detail).

The House Appropriations Committee also held a subcommittee markup of the FYFiscal Year 2013 homeland security spending bill. The bill includes $825 for the DHSDepartment of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate, an almost $160 million increase from the FYFiscal Year 2012 enacted level. This significant increase from last year reflects restoration of significant cuts that were made to S&T during the FYFiscal Year 2012 appropriations process. A full committee markup is scheduled for this week.

Manufacturing. Back in January, the Administration announced a new initiative called the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI). This program aims to partner research agencies such as NISTNational Institute of Standards and Technology, NSFNational Science Foundation, DoDDepartment of Defense, and DOEDepartment of Energy, with industry and academia to advance manufacturing technologies in the U.S. The government issued a request for information (RFI) in the Federal Register last week, seeking input on how to shape this initiative.

Recognition. The White House and the DOEDepartment of Energy awarded the annual Fermi Prize to MITMassachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Dr. Mildred Dresselhaus and Stanford Professor and Nobel Prize winner Dr. Burton Richter. The prestigious Fermi Prize is a Presidential award administered by the DOEDepartment of Energy’s Office of Science “to honor individuals who have given unstintingly over their careers to advance energy science, and to inspire future scientists to follow their example.”

In Print

Ezra Klein writes in the Washington Post, Jeff Flake’s plan to politicize the National Science Foundation, about Flake’s efforts to stop the NSFNational Science Foundation from funding political science research. Klein accuses Flake of trying to politicize the NSFNational Science Foundation, and also shares some of his own views on public access of federally funded research. Flake responded to the piece on his Facebook page.

Reps. Bud McKeon (R-CA), Chair of the House Armed Services Committee, and Paul Ryan (R-WI), Chair of the House Budget Committee, penned an op-edDepartment of Education entitled Military-Crippling Sequester Must Be Stopped in RealClearPolitics.com. The op-edDepartment of Education outlines the pairs’ concerns about cuts to the military that would occur if sequestration were to take place. In addition to defense spending, however, the piece also mentions concerns about “deep cuts to programs like the National Institutes of Health and border security, squeezing critical priorities while letting entitlement spending remain on autopilot.”

In a piece entitled Advocates warn automatic cuts would hit medical research, The Hill reports on how advocacy organizations are communicating the effect that sequestration would have on biomedical research.

If you’re interested in learning more about what the Appropriations Committees have to say about how federal research agencies should spend their money in FYFiscal Year 2013, I recommend visiting AIP’s FYI blog. There, you will find key excerpts of report language accompanying the DOEDepartment of Energy, NISTNational Institute of Standards and Technology, NSFNational Science Foundation, and NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration FYFiscal Year 2013 spending bills.

For any enrolled students reading this, the Task Force on American Innovation is still looking for students to submit videos highlighting the importance of federal funding for basic research. Prizes included a visit to Washington, DC and cash. Visit the contest’s website for more information on the competition.

What’s on Deck

Tuesday (5/15)

• The Senate Appropriations Committee will hold a subcommittee markup of the FYFiscal Year 2013 homeland security spending bill.
• The Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF) will hold a reception on Capitol Hill highlighting researchers from across the country that are supported by the NSFNational Science Foundation.

Wednesday (5/16)

• The House Appropriations Committee will hold a full committee markup of the FYFiscal Year 2013 homeland security spending bill.
• The House Judiciary Committee will hold a full committee on hearing on Implementation of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (patent reform).
• The Senate Appropriations Committee will hold a subcommittee markup of the FYFiscal Year 2013 spending bill for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPAEnvironmental Protection Agency).

Thursday (5/17)

• The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) will holding a Capitol Hill briefing on Improving STEMScience, Technology, Engineering, Math Outreach through Strategic Partnerships.

Yes, this is confusing! Bottom line, nobody wants sequester, and the reconciliation process represents one way the House Republicans propose to stop it. House Democrats likely won’t buy into this proposed solution, as evidenced by a report released last week by House Budget Committee Ranking Member, Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), entitled Republican Reconciliation Proposals Reflect the Wrong Priorities.

In other news, Newt Gingrich formally ended his campaign to become the Republican nominee for President last week, further cementing Mitt Romney’s position as the presumptive GOP nominee.  If you’re interested in where various candidates fall on the subject of science, you canCures Acceleration Network visit the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAASAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science) election website, or a website created by Research!America, an advocacy group focused on biomedical research, called Your Candidate Your Health.

Also of Note

Appointments. ScienceInsider reports that Dr. Chuck Vest, President of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and former President of MITMassachusetts Institute of Technology, has decided not to pursue a second term. A search committee has been set up to identify Dr. Vest’s successor.

Health. The National Institutes of Health’s (NIHNational Institutes of Health) National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATSNational Center for Advancing Translational Sciences) announced a new initiative called Discovering New Therapeutic Uses for Existing Molecules. This partnership between NCATSNational Center for Advancing Translational Sciences and Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Eli Lilly, would give NIHNational Institutes of Health-funded researchers access to molecules sitting with the companies that could be used to identify new therapies.

Space. The National Research Council (NRCNational Research Council) released an alarming report entitled Earth Science and Applications from Space: A Midterm Assessment of NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Implementation of the Decadal Survey. The NRCNational Research Council press release indicates the report finds that “budget shortfalls, cost-estimate growth, launch failures, and changes in mission design and scope have left U.S. earth observation systems in a more precarious position than they were five years ago.  The report cautions that the nation’s earth observing system is beginning a rapid decline in capability, as long-running missions end and key new missions are delayed, lost, or cancelled.”

In Print

A New York Times piece entitled Of Geese and Fleece praises the Golden Goose Award announced last week on Capitol Hill. This award intends to reward scientists whose “silly sounding” research has led to significant societal benefits.

What’s on Deck

Monday (5/7)

• The House Budget Committee will hold a markup of H.R. 4966, The Sequester Replacement Act of 2012 and The Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act of 2012.

Tuesday (5/8)

• The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee will hold a subcommittee hearing on Green Building Rating Systems.

Wednesday (5/9)

• The House Appropriations Committee will hold a subcommittee markup of the FYFiscal Year 2013 Department of Homeland Security spending bill.
• The House Armed Services Committee will hold a full committee markup on the FYFiscal Year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act.
• The House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a subcommittee hearing on Budget and Spending Concerns at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHSHealth and Human Services).
• The House Homeland Security Committee will hold a joint subcommittee hearing on First Responder Technologies: Ensuring a Prioritized Approach for Homeland Security Research and Development.
• The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee will hold a subcommittee hearing on American Taxpayer Dollars at the NSFNational Science Foundation.

Thursday (5/10)

• The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee will hold a nomination hearing for Dr. Patricia K. Falcone to be Associate Director of National Security and International Affairs at the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTPOffice of Science and Technology Policy).
• The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a full committee hearing on The Helium Stewardship Act of 2012.
• The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee will hold a subcommittee hearing on Challenges and Opportunities of Unconventional Resources Technology.

On Capitol Hill, the House Appropriations Committee approved its 302(b) allocations, which sets the amount of spending each of its 12 subcommittees canCures Acceleration Network allocate. These allotments are based on the recently passed House budget, which shaves $19 billion off the amount agreed to in last year’s Budget Control Act (BCA). As a result, the House subcommittee allocations are generally less than FYFiscal Year 2012 levels and the the Senate’s 302(b) allocations. This disparity in funding levels between the Senate and House will certainly make resolution of the two bills challenging later in the year, especially since the Director of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget wrote to House Appropriators last week indicating the President would not sign any spending bill that did not use the BCA agreed-to top line spending amount for FYFiscal Year 2013.

The full House Appropriations Committee also approved its Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) and Energy and Water (E&W) bills, without any significant changes to the amounts provided in last week’s update. In addition, the Senate Appropriations Committee held subcommittee and full committee markups of its FYFiscal Year 2013 E&W and Agriculture  spending bills (more details below).

Also of Note

Appointments. Dr. Henry Kelly, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and, until recently, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Department of Energy’s (DOEDepartment of Energy) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), will leave DOEDepartment of Energy for a position as a senior advisor to the President’s Science Advisor, John Holdren, at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTPOffice of Science and Technology Policy).

ScienceInsider reports that just one week before he was supposed to take over as head of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), Chris Kaiser of MITMassachusetts Institute of Technology has withdrawn his nomination, citing personal reasons in his decision. ScienceInsider also reports that Glenn Paulson has been named the next Environmental Protection Agency (EPAEnvironmental Protection Agency) science advisor. Paulson hails most recently from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

Among the list of winners of this year’s Presidential Medal of Freedom are John Glenn, former astronaut and U.S. Senator, and William Foege, a physician and epidemiologist who helped to eradicate smallpox.

Appropriations. The Senate Appropriations Committee held subcommittee and full committee markups of its FYFiscal Year 2013 E&W and Agriculture spending bills. The E&W bill provides $4.9 billion for the DOEDepartment of Energy Office of Science, $35 million above the FYFiscal Year 2012 enacted level. The bill also includes $312 million for the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-EAdvanced Research Projects Agency--Energy), $37 million more than the FYFiscal Year 2012 enacted level. Within the Agriculture bill, the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), which funds competitive research, receives $298 million, an increase of $33.5 million over the FYFiscal Year 2012 enacted level.

Health. The White House released its National Bioeconomy Blueprint. This document “outlines steps that agencies will take to drive the bioeconomy—economic activity powered by research and innovation in the biosciences—and details ongoing efforts across the Federal government to realize this goal.” The report includes five strategic goals to strengthen the bioeconomy, including increased support for basic research and translational efforts, more efficient regulation, and better training.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAASAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science), the Association of American Universities (AAUAssociation of American Universities), the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLUAssociation of Public and Land Grant Universities), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a new report entitled Bridging Science and Security for Biological Research: A Dialogue between Universities and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This report summarizes recent meetings between research universities and the FBI to discuss the agency’s role in biosecurity.

Research. The House passed the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act (DATA Act) by voice vote. This bill has caused some concern with research universities as it would require a new central reporting system for federal grants and contracts without removing existing agency-specific reporting requirements. A Senate version of the bill has been introduced but is stalled with the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) released a Report to the President and Congress on the Fourth Assessment of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI). This biennal report is required by Congress to update them on the progress of the NNI.

In a press conference on Capitol Hill last week, three members of Congress, with the support of several associations including the AAASAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science, announced a new award called the “Golden Goose Award.” This award, a play on the Golden Fleece award of the 1970s, will reward scientists who conducted research that on the surface sounded silly, but ultimately had significant societal benefit. The first award will be selected by an expert panel and presented in September of 2012.

In Print

In a Washington Post op-edDepartment of Education entitled The Right Economic Investment for America, Fareed Zakaria includes the President’s proposed 5% increase in federal R&D on a list of investments that could contribute to long-term economic growth.

The Washington Post also covered the announcement of the Golden Goose Award, as described above.

Nature’s blog reports on two hearings of interest to the research community, including a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on dual use research, and a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on legislation that would ban research conducted on great apes.

The President’s Science Advisor, John Holdren, made remarks at the AAASAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science annual Science and Technology Policy Forum, where he affirmed the President’s belief that “investments in research, in infrastructure related to science, technology, and innovation, and in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education are not the places to cut back,” and that “We need to maintain those investments… in order to build a basis for our ongoing economic prosperity, for our national security, for our environmental quality, and for our quality of life.”

What’s on Deck

The House and Senate are both in recess this week.

Monday (4/30)

• The American Geophysical Union will hold a Capitol Hill briefing on “From the Mississippi to the Gulf: Water Quality and Security.”

Science was also on the minds of House and Senate Appropriators last week as they marked up FYFiscal Year 2013 spending bills that would fund the National Science Foundation (NSFNational Science Foundation), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NISTNational Institute of Standards and Technology), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAANational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), and the Department of Energy (DOEDepartment of Energy) Office of Science (more details below).

The Senate Appropriations Committee also approved its 302 (b) allocations, which designate how much money each subcommittee canCures Acceleration Network appropriate. Despite the fact that the Senate hasn’t passed an official budget resolution (although Senate Budget Committee Chair, Kent Conrad (D-ND), came close last week), these allocations are based on the FYFiscal Year 2013 spending level agreed to in the Budget Control Act (BCA) last summer. Two Republican members of the Appropriations committee approved the allocations, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), a move at odds with his counterpart in the House, Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH), who approved a House budget that would cut total spending $19 billion below the BCA-agreed-to level.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAASAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science) last week released an analysis of the impacts of this House budget to research accounts. According to the estimate, the budget would result in total R&D cuts of 3%, and non-defense R&D cuts of 5% below FYFiscal Year 2012. These reductions would be even further exacerbated by sequestration, which is supposed to kick in in January 2013. The AAASAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science analysis estimates that this could result in combined R&D  cuts of up to 12% below current levels.

Also of Note

Appropriations. The Senate Appropriations Committee held subcommittee and full committee markups of its Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) FYFiscal Year 2013 spending bill and the House Appropriations Committee held subcommittee markups of both its CJS bill and its Energy and Water Development (E&W) bill. I’ve included some of the research highlights below, visit the links for more details:

Senate FYFiscal Year 2013 CJS Bill:

• NSFNational Science Foundation: The bill provides $7.3 billion, an increase of $240 million over the FYFiscal Year 2012 enacted level.
• NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration: The bill provides $19.4 billion, an increase of $1.6 billion over the FYFiscal Year 2012 enacted level. Within NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration, the bill provides $5 billion for Science, $69 million below the FYFiscal Year 2012 level, and includes a restoration of the controversial President’s budget request that would cut the planetary science account.
• NISTNational Institute of Standards and Technology: The bill provides $826 million, $75 million above the FYFiscal Year 2012 enacted level. This includes an increase for NISTNational Institute of Standards and Technology laboratories and $14.5 million for new Advanced Manufacturing Technology Consortia.
• NOAANational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: The bill provides $3.4 billion, which is $1.47 billion below the FYFiscal Year 2012 enacted level. This big reduction is due to a proposed transfer of funding for weather satellites from NOAANational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration.

House FYFiscal Year 2013 CJS Bill:

• NSFNational Science Foundation: The bill provides $7.3 billion,$299 million above the Fiscal Year 2012 enacted level.
• NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration: The bill provides $17.6 billion, $226 million below the FYFiscal Year 2012 enacted level. Within NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration, Science receives $5.1 billion, an increase from FYFiscal Year 2012, and a restoration of planetary science funding contingent on a National Research Council (NRCNational Research Council) certification.
• NISTNational Institute of Standards and Technology: The bill provides $830 million, $79 million above the FYFiscal Year 2012 enacted level. This includes an increase to NISTNational Institute of Standards and Technology’s laboratories and $21 million for the new Advanced Manufacturing Technology Consortia.
• NOAANational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: The bill provides $5.0 billion for NOAANational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, $68 million above the FYFiscal Year 2012 enacted level. This bill does not include the proposed transfer of satellites to NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration included in the Senate bill.

House E&W Bill:

• DOEDepartment of Energy: The bill provides $26.3 billion, $358 million below the FYFiscal Year 2012 enacted level. Within DOEDepartment of Energy, the Office of Science receives $4.8 billion, $64 million below the FYFiscal Year 2012 level. The Advanced research Projects Agency -Energy (ARPA-EAdvanced Research Projects Agency--Energy) receives $200 million, $75 million below the FYFiscal Year 2012 enacted level.

Defense. The Rand Corporation released a new report entitled Improving Basic Army Research, which summarizes activities of a panel of experts who looked at “national trends in basic research and R&D, including trends in Department of Defense research funding; conducted an in-depth examination of the Army research enterprise; and profiled several non-Army laboratories known for their high-quality basic research, to gain insight into how the Army might better structure and fund its own labs.” The report gives a strong endorsement of the importance of Army basic research, but provides recommendations for management improvements.

Education. The White House released the 2010 Federal STEMScience, Technology, Engineering, Math Education Inventory Data Set. This data set includes “information on what STEMScience, Technology, Engineering, Math education programs the government funded in 2010, what audiences were targeted, what outcomes were monitored, and much more. The data set, which includes information from 13 Federal agencies that support education programs focused on STEMScience, Technology, Engineering, Math subjects, is the most comprehensive description of Federal STEMScience, Technology, Engineering, Math education programs.”

Energy. The Brookings Institution, the Breakthrough Institute, and the World Resources Institute released a report called Beyond Boom and Bust: Putting Clean Tech On a Path To Subsidy Independence. This report outlines challenges in the U.S. clean tech industry that is heavily dependent on waning federal investments in the forms of R&D, loans, and subsidies.

Health. The National Institutes of Health (NIHNational Institutes of Health) released a checklist that will help research entities ensure they are abiding by new Federal Conflict of Interest (FCOI) rules. According to the document, it’s purpose is “to provide an overview of the requirements of the 2011 revised FCOI regulation to serve as a checklist resource when developing, revising or reviewing an Institution’s FCOI policy to determine compliance with all regulatory requirements.”

The Director of the NIHNational Institutes of Health, Dr. Francis Collins, announced that he and the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHSHealth and Human Services), Kathleen Sebelius, would formally accept the recommendation of the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) to publish two manuscripts on avian flu research that have been at the center of a swirling controversy over dual use research of concern.

The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology released its analysis of how sequestration would affect funding for the NIHNational Institutes of Health, including a breakout of impacts by state. The report assumes a 9.1% cut to NIHNational Institutes of Health, with a 11.1% cut to extramural grants, taking into account that some funding, such as that which supports salaries, is more difficult to cut than other kinds.

Research. It looks like the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act (DATA Act) will come to the House floor this week for a vote. The goal of this legislation is to improve transparency and accountability of federal grant-making, through increased reporting requirements. Several research entities, including the Association of American Universities, are concerned that this legislation puts in place duplicative reporting requirements that will be overly burdensome to research entities.  

In Print

In an Atlantic op-edDepartment of Education entitled School Power: The Case for Keeping Innovation in the Hands of Universities, former Senator Birch Bayh and Joseph Allen write about the importance of maintaining the current technology transfer regime in which universities, rather than individual researchers, manage the technology transfer of the result of federally funded research. This regime has been challenged in recent years by the Kauffman Foundation, which recommends a “free agency” proposal, under which researchers would retain the right to manage the tech transfer of their discoveries.

The American Institute of Physics (AIP) FYI blog summarizes some key excerpts from a recent House Appropriations CJS Subcommittee hearing and an E&W Subcommittee hearing.

The Task Force on American Innovation has posted the video of a recent Capitol Hill briefing describing how federally funded research influenced the technologies used in the iPad.

What’s on Deck

Tuesday (4/24)

• The Senate Appropriations Committee will hold a subcommittee markup on the FYFiscal Year 2013 Energy and Water spending bill.
• The House Committee on Homeland Security Committee will hold a subcommittee hearing on America is Under Cyber Attack: Why Urgent Action is Needed.

Wednesday (4/25)

• The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee will hold an Executive Session on the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act.
• The House Appropriations Committee will hold a full committee hearing on the FYFiscal Year 2013 Energy and Water spending bill.
• The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee and House Small Business Committee will hold a joint hearing on How the Report on Carcinogens Uses Science to Meet its Statutory Obligations, and its Impact on Small Business Jobs.
• The National Science Foundation, Senator Harry Reid, and Discover Magazine will host a Capitol Hill briefing on Road to the New Energy Economy: Re-engineering Water for Power.

Thursday (4/26)

• The House Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on Biological Security: The Risk of Dual-Use Research.
• The House Committee on Education and Workforce will hold a hearing on the FYFiscal Year 2013 budget request for HHSHealth and Human Services.
• The House Committee on Homeland Security will hold a subcommittee hearing on Ensuring the Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Transparency of Homeland Security Grants (Part II): Stakeholder Perspectives.
• The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee will hold a hearing on An Overview of the NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate Budget for FYFiscal Year 2013.
• The House Armed Services Committee Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities will hold a markup on The National Defense Authorization Act of 2013.

Contrary to previous reports, CQ indicates that the Senate Budget Committee will now markup a budget resolution for FYFiscal Year 2013. Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND) had previously indicated that he wouldn’t bother with such a markup, since the Budget Control Act already specified a top-line number for this year’s spending. The change of heart may have come about, however, after the House passed a budget resolution before recess that would cut $19 billion from the previously agreed to amount. A Senate budget resolution would send a strong counter signal, further solidifying the differing views of the two chambers’ majority parties on how to deal with the federal deficit.

Also of Note

Defense. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced a new Robotics Challenge that will launch in October 2012. For this initiative, which supports the broader National Robotics Initiative, DARPA seeks teams “to compete in challenges involving staged disaster-response scenarios in which robots will have to successfully navigate a series of physical tasks corresponding to anticipated, real-world disaster-response requirements. ”

Health. National Institutes of Health (NIHNational Institutes of Health) Director Francis Collins participated in the TEDMED 2012 conference in Washington where,  according to the Wall Street Journal, he spoke about challenges related to the translation of research results into useful therapies. He also brought his guitar along, performing an entertaining rendition of Disease Don’t Care.

The NIHNational Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration (FDAFood and Drug Administration) announced an upcoming workshop on “Natural History Studies of Rare Diseases: Meeting the Needs of Drug Development and Research.” This workshop will be held in May, and “aims to bring together thought leaders in the design, conduct, and evaluation of natural history studies to discuss the role of these studies in the development of therapeutic candidates.”

Dr. Collins has named Gary Gibbons as the new director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Dr. Gibbons comes to the position from the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta.

Innovation. The Office of Science Technology Policy (OSTPOffice of Science and Technology Policy) announced that it plans to hold a conference this summer on 21st Century Grand Challenges. “Grand Challenges” have been a consistent theme during President Obama’s Administration, and are highlighted in the Administration’s Strategy for American Innovation. Examples of grand challenges include the sequencing of the human genome, and making electric vehicles affordable and accessible for all. In support of this strategy, OSTPOffice of Science and Technology Policy also announced a new report on the use of prizes to spur innovation.

Research. The National Science Foundation (NSFNational Science Foundation) released a notice on March 27th outlining its plan to implement the National Science Board (NSBNational Science Board) recommendations on updating merit review criteria used to evaluate research proposals. While the agency doesn’t intend to change the merit review criteria, the notice outlines the process they intend to use to “articulate the underlying principles” of the existing criteria.

The White House released a new report entitled A Report To Congress on the Coordination of Policies Related to the Dissemination and Long-Term Stewardship of the Results of Federally Funded Scientific Research. This report, as required by the America COMPETES Act of 201o, outlines the various initiatives the government has undertaken to receive input on public access, including the outcomes of several requests for information (RFIs) and task forces on the subject.

The White House announced that a majority of federal departments and agencies have now posted scientific-integrity guidelines online. These guidelines are designed to ensure that agencies use science appropriately in supporting and accomplishing their missions.

Space. NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration announced that its working group on the future of Mars Exploration is now accepting abstracts and input from the public on its future path. This working group was put in place after the President’s FYFiscal Year 2013 budget request for NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration included a significant cut to the Planetary Science account, effectively delaying existing Mars exploration plans.

In Print

The American Institute of Physics FYI blog summarizes several research-related hearings, including a March hearing on keeping America competitive through R&D, three recent hearings related to the FYFiscal Year 2013 NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration budget, and a House Science, Space, and Technology Committee hearing on public access to federally funded research.

SpacePolicyOnline reports on a recent discussion between the National Research Council (NRCNational Research Council) and Office of Management and Budget (OMBOffice of Management and Budget) officials about the Administration’s stance toward NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration’s “flagship missions.” OMBOffice of Management and Budget officials indicated they are not against flagship missions, but rather are trying to operate within a constrained fiscal environment.

Dr. Gordon Tomaselli, President of the American Heart Association, writes in a ScienceProgress piece entitled Protect the National Institutes of Health from Sequester about what sequester would mean for biomedical research at NIHNational Institutes of Health.

What’s On Deck

Monday (4/16)

• The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) will hold a conference call to discuss two new reports, one on Advanced Manufacturing Partnership and another on Advancing Innovation in Drug Development and Evaluation.

Tuesday (4/17)

• The Senate Appropriations Committee will hold subcommittee markups of its Commerce, Justice, Science FYFiscal Year 2013 spending bill and its Transportation, Housing and Urban Development FYFiscal Year 2013 spending bill.
• The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a subcommittee hearing on the health and status of the Department of Defense science and technology laboratories and enterprise.
• The House Armed Services Committee will hold a subcommittee hearing on Fiscal Year 2013 National Defense Budget Request for Atomic Energy Defense Activities and Nuclear Forces Programs.
• The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee will hold a full committee hearing on Tapping America’s Unconventional Oil Resources for Job Creation and Affordable Domestic Energy: Technology and Policy Pathways.
  

Wednesday (4/18)

• The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a subcommittee hearing on the National Nuclear Security Administration management of its National Security Laboratories.
• The House Appropriations Energy and Water Subcommittee will mark up its Energy and Water Development FYFiscal Year 2013 spending bill.
• The House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold subcommittee hearings on budget and spending concerns at the DOEDepartment of Energy and FDAFood and Drug Administration User Fees 2012: How Innovation Helps Patients and Jobs.
• The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee will hold subcommittee hearings on NSFNational Science Foundation Major Multi-User Research Facilities Management and Growing the Wireless Economy through Innovation.

Thursday (4/19)

• The House Homeland Security Committee will hold a subcommittee hearing on the Department of Homeland Security (DHSDepartment of Homeland Security) and DOEDepartment of Energy National Labs: Finding Efficiencies and Optimizing Outputs in Homeland Security Research and Development.
• The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee will hold a subcommittee hearing on Impact of Tax Policies on the Commercial Application of Renewable Energy Technology.
• The American Chemical Society will hold a Capitol Hill briefing on Cybersecurity and Smart Infrastructure: Ensuring Resilience and Deterrence.

Also of Note

Energy. A group of 60 House Members from both sides of the aisle sent a letter to House appropriators requesting support for the Department of Energy (DOEDepartment of Energy) Office of Science, which funds basic research. Although the letter does not reference a specific dollar figure for FYFiscal Year 2013, it does ask for “robust and substantial funding.”

The Senate confirmed a number of Presidential nominees before breaking for recess, including MITMassachusetts Institute of Technology alum David Danielson as Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), and Charles McConnell as Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy.

Health. A group of 49 Senators from both sides of the aisle wrote to Senate appropriators in support of funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIHNational Institutes of Health). Unlike a similar letter completed last week in the House requesting $32 billion for the agency, this letter does not request a specific dollar figure for NIHNational Institutes of Health, but rather asks for a “strong commitment to funding” for the agency.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHSHealth and Human Services) released a new policy related to federally supported research on certain biological agents or toxins that are considered potential threats to public health and safety. This policy would require federal research agencies to regularly review existing grants to identify research that involves any of 15 named agents, and to identify concerns related to “dual use” (i.e., potential misuse). This policy likely emerged in response to a recent controversy surrounding the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB)’s recommendation that results of avian flu research not be published due to concerns for public safety. According to ScienceInsider, this decision was reversed by the NSABB last Friday.

United for Medical Research released an update to their recent report on the economic impact of research funding at the NIHNational Institutes of Health. This addendum revises the report’s estimates to reflect cuts that are anticipated if sequestration takes place in January 2013. According to the report, sequestration would result in a 7-8% cut in funding for the agency.

Research. The White House announced a new “Big Data Research and Development Initiative” during a ceremony at the White House. This initiative includes funding opportunities from six federal agencies aiming to “improve our ability to extract knowledge and insights from large and complex collections of digital data.”

Space. NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration announced that it will launch the NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration Aeronautics Research Institute (NARI), a “virtual institute to solicit and foster innovative ideas that address technological challenges facing aviation and the U.S. air transportation system today and in the future.”

In Print

The American Institute of Physics AIP blog summarized a recent Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on DOEDepartment of Energy’s FYFiscal Year 2013 budget request.

ScienceInsider reported on a House Science, Space, and Technology Committee hearing on public access, and a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on the NIHNational Institutes of Health FYFiscal Year 2013 budget.

Space Politics reported on a recent Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing on NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration’s FYFiscal Year 2013 budget request.

What’s on Deck

Both chambers are in recess for two weeks. Keep an eye out for my next Week in Review update on April 16th!

Within the proposed budget, the two pots of discretionary funding—defense and non-defense—would be treated quite differently. Defense spending would receive $8 billion more than the level specified in the BCA, while non-defense discretionary spending would receive $27 billion less than the level specified in the BCA. This second number is important for research funding, as it is the pot which supports most federal research agencies.

The budget proposal does mention research once, affirming the general Republican view that government support of basic research, versus applied, represents a more appropriate federal role. The document states “this budget would continue funding essential government missions, including energy security and basic research and development, while paring back duplicative spending and non-core functions, such as applied and commercial research or development projects best left to the private sector.”

In a blog post written after the release, Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMBOffice of Management and Budget) Jacob Zients criticized the proposed budget, including this statement on its effects on research, “Investments in science, medical research, space, and technology would be cut by more than $100 billion over the next decade. The number of new grants  from NIHNational Institutes of Health for promising research projects would shrink by more than 1,600 in 2014 and by over 16,000 over a decade, potentially curtailing or slowing research to fight Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and AIDS.  The National Science Foundation would cut over 11,000 grants over the next decade, eliminating support for over 13,000 researchers, students, and teachers in 2014 alone.”

While the House will likely approve Ryan’s budget measure this week, the Senate will continue to use the higher FYFiscal Year 2013 level specified in the BCA, all making for a fun conference later in the year.

Also of Note

Health. A group of over 150 House representatives sent a letter to House Appropriators in support of increased funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIHNational Institutes of Health), whose FYFiscal Year 2013 budget request is flat from last year. The letter cites concerns over increased competition in biomedical research with Asian countries, and cites NIHNational Institutes of Health as an important driver of economic growth.

A new report out from advocacy group United for Medical Research (UMRUnited for Medical Research) entitled NIHNational Institutes of Health’S Role in Sustaining the U.S. Economy, finds that NIHNational Institutes of Health funding supported 432,000 jobs in 2011, broken down by state. A GenomeWeb Daily News article outlines efforts by the report authors to identify the full multiplier effect of NIHNational Institutes of Health funding, not simply the jobs created by investigators conducting research.

Innovation. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTOU.S. Patent and Trademark Office) and the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) announced a new joint training Patent Examiners Training Initiative. This program is “designed to improve the strength and quality of U.S. patents through specialized training between patent examiners, innovators and scientists.”

In Print

Nature’s blog reports on a recent House Appropriations Committee hearing focused on NIHNational Institutes of Health’s new National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATSNational Center for Advancing Translational Sciences).

The American Institutes of Physics (AIP) FYI blog has summaries of a recent House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on the FYFiscal Year 2013 request for the Department of Energy (DOEDepartment of Energy) Office of Science, and a House Science, Space, and Technology Committee hearing focus on the National Science Foundation (NSFNational Science Foundation) Major Research Equipment and Facilities Management (MREFC) program.

SpacePolicyOnline reports on a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on the FYFiscal Year 2013 budget request for NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration, with a particular focus on cuts to the planetary science program.

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) reports on a recent House Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on the FYFiscal Year 2013 budget request for NIHNational Institutes of Health.

The Chronicle reports on a Supreme Court ruling invalidating a patent on a medical testing process, which could have a huge effect on biomedical patenting more broadly.

What’s on Deck

Tuesday (3/27)

• The House Appropriations Committee will hold a subcommittee hearing on the FYFiscal Year 2013 request for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) & Fossil Energy & Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability.
• The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee will hold a hearing on Fostering the U.S. Competitive Edge.
• The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAASAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science) will hold a Capitol Hill briefing on the FYFiscal Year 2013 budget request. Contact mhouriha (at) aaasAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science.org for more information.

Wednesday (3/28)

• The Senate Appropriations Committee will hold subcommittee hearings on the FYFiscal Year 2013 budget requests for the NIHNational Institutes of Health and NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration.
• The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee will hold a hearing on The Science and Standards of Forensics.
• The House Appropriations Committee will hold a subcommittee hearing on the DOEDepartment of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-EAdvanced Research Projects Agency--Energy) & Loan Guarantee Programs.
• The House Appropriations Committee will hold a full committee hearing on Securing the Promise of the International Space Station: Challenges and Opportunities and a subcommittee hearing on How NOAANational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Procures Data for Weather Forecasting.
• The House Transportation and Infrastructure committee will hold a hearing on A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Request for the Environmental Protection Agency.
• NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration will hold an event highlighting “NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration Technology: Imagine. Innovate. Explore” on Capitol Hill.

Thursday (3/29)

• NSFNational Science Foundation and the Coalition for National Science Funding will hold a luncheon on Capitol Hill on How basic research discoveries underpin technological advances in the marketplace.
• The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee will hold a hearing on Examining Public Access and Scholarly Publication Interests.

Also of Note

Defense. Wired reported that Regina Dugan, head of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), will be leaving that agency for a position with Google. DARPA, part of the Department of Defense (DoDDepartment of Defense), conducts high-risk, high-reward research.

Education. The Director of NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration, Charles Bolden, joined the President’s Jobs Council to announce STAY WITH IT, the “first student outreach campaign connecting engineering students with experienced engineers, role models and peers to motivate them to stay in their field of study and graduate with an engineering degree.”

Health. Over 900 organizations, including several higher education associations, wrote to House and Senate Appropriations leaders, asking them to “provide the largest possible FYFiscal Year 2013 302(b) allocation to the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee (Labor-HHSHealth and Human Services-EdDepartment of Education) within the discretionary cap established by the BCA.” The “302 (b)” allocation is the term for what each appropriations subcommittee gets to appropriate as their piece of the entire budget pie (called the 302(a)). The Labor-HHSHealth and Human Services-EdDepartment of Education appropriations subcommittees fund the National Institutes of Health (NIHNational Institutes of Health).

Innovation. Politico reported on efforts by Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) to push for support of The Startup Act (S.965), a bill co-sponsored by Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) aimed at removing barriers to entrepreneurship. The bill, introduced last December, includes provisions related to taxes, immigration, regulations, and commercialization of university research. The commercialization provisions have caused concern at some research universities, as they would existing research dollars to support grants to universities that allow faculty members to use technology transfer offices at institutions other than their home institution.

Research. The Office of Management and Budget (OMBOffice of Management and Budget) issued a 30-day extension to the comment period for on its Advanced Notice of Proposed Guidance (ANPG) regarding reforms to circular A-21 and other circulars governing cost recovery associated with federal grants.

Robotics.  The President’s Scientific Advisor, John Holdren, attended the opening of the Naval Research Lab’s new Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Research (LASR). This new lab will support “cutting-edge research in robotics and autonomous systems of interest to the Navy, the Marine Corps, and the Department of Defense, such as unmanned underwater vehicles, autonomous firefighting robots, and sensor networks.”

Transportation. The Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLUAssociation of Public and Land Grant Universities) sent a letter to House and Senate leadership expressing support for university transportation centers that are included in the ongoing reauthorization of the surface transportation bill. The Senate passed their version of the bill (S.1813) last week, which included language authorizing these research centers administered by the Department of Transportation (DOT).

In Print

In his piece in The Scientist entitled Slipping from the Top, Jef Aksts reported on a recent panel discussion during which Francis Collins, Director of the NIHNational Institutes of Health, and Subra Suresh, Director of the National Science Foundation (NSFNational Science Foundation), were among the panelists discussing concerns over the U.S. losing its science and technology edge.

The Albany Times Union reported in its piece, Medical Researchers Up in Arms About Delayed Cures and Shuttered Labs as Obama Proposes Flat Research Grant Budget, on concerns over the FYFiscal Year 2013 proposed budget for the NIHNational Institutes of Health and efforts to mount a petition through the White House to bring attention to the matter.

ScienceInsider reported on recent polling conducted by Research!America finding that “nearly 60% believe that a country other than the United States will lead the world in science and technology by that time.”

Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News reports on the NIHNational Institutes of Health committee looking at the use of chimpanzees in biomedical research.

Kenneth Chang writes in the New York Times piece “Life on Mars? Funds to Find Answer Fade” about proposed cuts to the NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration Mars program in the FYFiscal Year 2013 budget.

The American Institute of Physics’s AIP blog provides summaries of several recent hearings on the FYFiscal Year 2013 budget requests for the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NISTNational Institute of Standards and Technology), the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), and the NSFNational Science Foundation.

The National Science Foundation (NSFNational Science Foundation) National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics issued an info brief finding that R&D Spending Suffered a Rare Decline in 2009, but Outpaced the Overall Economy.

What’s on Deck

Tuesday (3/20)

• The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a subcommittee hearing on cybersecurity research and development in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2013 and the Future Years Defense Program.
• The House Appropriations Committee will hold subcommittee hearings on the FYFiscal Year 2013 budget requests for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAANational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the Department of Energy Office of Science, and the National institutes of Health (NIHNational Institutes of Health).
• The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee will hold a subcommittee hearing on An Overview of the Office of Commercial Space Transportation Budget for FYFiscal Year 2013.

Wednesday (3/21)

• The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a subcommittee hearing on military space programs in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2013 and the Future Years Defense Program.
• The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on the FYFiscal Year 2013 budget request for the Department of Homeland Security (DHSDepartment of Homeland Security).
• The House Appropriations Committee will hold subcommittee hearings on the FYFiscal Year 2013 budget requests for Department of Agriculture (USDAU.S. Department of Agriculture) Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics and NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration.
  

Thursday (3/22)

• The DOEDepartment of Energy will hold a “twitter conversation” on women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEMScience, Technology, Engineering, Math) fields.
• The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing on the FYFiscal Year 2013 budget request for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPAEnvironmental Protection Agency).

Also of Note

Appointments. President Obama announced that he would nominate Dr. Sonny Ramaswamy as Director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFANational Institute of Food and Agriculture), and Todd Parks as the next U.S. Chief Technology Officer.

Innovation. The House New Democrat Coalition, a group of fiscally conservative Democratic members of the House, released a set of Principles for Innovation and Competitiveness aimed at allowing “businesses and entrepreneurs to be more innovative and competitive in the global marketplace.” Included in the list of 10 principles are “supporting basic research” and “incentivizing research and development.” Reps. Ron Kind (D-WI) and Gerry Connolly (D-VA) wrote an op-edDepartment of Education in Roll Call to accompany the release .

Health. The National Institutes of Health (NIHNational Institutes of Health) newest center, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATSNational Center for Advancing Translational Sciences), has issued a request for information (RFI) on how it canCures Acceleration Network strengthen the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program. the CTSA program provides “infrastructure to facilitate translational research, to promote the training and career development of translational researchers, and to develop innovative methods and technologies to strengthen translational research.” Comments are due April 6, 2012.

Homeland Security. The Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, announced the creation of the Homeland Security Academic Advisory Council (HSAAC). This new council, composed of university presidents and other academic leaders, will advise the Secretary on “student and recent graduate recruitment; international students; academic research; campus and community resiliency, security and preparedness; and faculty exchange.”

Manufacturing. The President announced a new $1 billion proposal called the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation, which would create 15 institutes around the country to “bring together industry, universities and community colleges, federal agencies, and our states to accelerate innovation by investing in industrially-relevant manufacturing technologies with broad applications to bridge the gap between basic research and product development, provide shared assets to help companies – particularly small manufacturers – access cutting-edge capabilities and equipment, and create an unparalleled environment to educate and train students and workers in advanced manufacturing skills.” Although funding for this program is included in the FYFiscal Year 2013 budget request, it will require legislation to be enacted before funding canCures Acceleration Network be appropriated.

Patent Reform. The blog PatentlyO reports on efforts by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTOU.S. Patent and Trademark Office) to reduce the backlog of patent applications at that agency, a main focus of the America Invents Act, patent reform legislation that was enacted last year.

Space. SpacePolicyOnline reports that Representative Frank Wolf  (R-VA), Chair of the House Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee, wrote to NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration Administrator, Charles Bolden, telling him that NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration should not enter into cooperative agreement with China on the International Space Station (ISS). This direction stems from an ongoing dispute between Wolf and the White House on scientific collaboration with China.

In Print

With appropriations hearing season in full swing, I will do my best to include in this section research-related hearing summaries drafted  by other organizations.

SpacePolicyOnline provides a summary of recent House Science, Space, and Technology Committee and Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearings focused on the future of human spaceflight.

ScienceInsider reports on a recent House Science, Space, and Technology Committee hearing during which the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSFNational Science Foundation) was questioned on that agency’s efforts to reduce gas prices, and a House Appropriations Commerce, Science, and Justice Subcommittee hearing on the NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration budget and cuts to its planetary science program.

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) reports on House and Senate Appropriations Labor-HHSHealth and Human Services-Education Subcommittee hearings with Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHSHealth and Human Services) Kathleen Sebelius on that department’s FYFiscal Year 2013 budget request.

The American Institute of Physics (AIP) reports on House Energy and Commerce Committee and House Appropriations Energy and Water Subcommittee hearings with Secretary Chu on the FYFiscal Year 2013 DOEDepartment of Energy budget request.

For those of you interested in working in science for the government, the Office of Personnel and Management has launched a pilot website aimed at inspiring science and technology careers in government. This pilot website is supported by six Federal agencies—the Department of Energy (DOEDepartment of Energy), Department of Homeland Security (DHSDepartment of Homeland Security), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Department of Labor (DOL), Department of State (DOS), and NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration. Hopefully other science-focused agencies such as the NSFNational Science Foundation and HHSHealth and Human Services will eventually join in!

What’s on Deck

The House is in recess this week, the Senate is in session.

Wednesday, March 14th

• The Senate Appropriations Committee will hold a subcommittee hearing on the FYFiscal Year 2013 DOEDepartment of Energy budget request.
• The American Chemical Society will hold a Capitol Hill briefing on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEMScience, Technology, Engineering, Math) Education for an Innovative Workforce.

Friday, March 16th

• A group of nine national scientific and engineering societies will host a Capitol Hill briefing on Research that Pays Off: The Economic Benefits of Federally Funded R&D.

Meanwhile, members in both the House and Senate are sorting out how to handle budget resolutions this year. Resolutions effectively set the top-line number that appropriators work from when processing their spending bills. In the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has essentially said that he won’t pass a budget resolution this year since the top-line number for FYFiscal Year 2013 was already set in the Budget Control Act (BCA). This decision could allow several Senators, especially those facing elections, to avoid a tough vote. In the House, Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has indicated that a budget resolution will be passed, but its members may choose to reduce the top-line spending number as agreed to in the BCA. If this occurs and the appropriators  follow suit, they could end up with two very different sets of spending bills in the House and Senate, making conference even more complicated than it already promises to be.

House and Senate appropriations committees will  hold more FYFiscal Year 2013 hearings this week, following up on their busy schedule last week. The heads of the National Institutes of Health (NIHNational Institutes of Health), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the National Science Foundation (NSFNational Science Foundation) are among those making the trek to Capitol Hill this week to defend their budge requests. In the House, the Appropriations Committee is also reacting to last week’s announcement that its ranking member, Norm Dicks (D-WA), will not seek re-election.

Also of Note

Health. According to ScienceInsider, the NIHNational Institutes of Health has asked the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) to revisit its prior decision to withhold publication of potentially sensitive research results related to avian flu. This may be a response to the recent World Health Organization (WHO) review of the decision, which recommended that the research results be published.

For those of you interested in the debate on the use of federal funds to support embryonic stemScience, Technology, Engineering, Math cell research, the Association of American Universities (AAUAssociation of American Universities) reports that the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a new brief in the ongoing case of Sherley v. Sebelius, in which the plaintiffs argue that using federal funds to support stemScience, Technology, Engineering, Math cell research violates an existing law related to embryo destruction. In addition to the DOJ’s brief, the advocacy group Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR) also filed an amicus brief in opposition of those claims.

Manufacturing. The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) released its National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing, as required by the America COMPETES Act of 2010. The plan includes several recommendations on how to support advanced manufacturing in the U.S., including “optimizing federal advanced manufacturing R&D investments by taking a portfolio perspective.” Cited investment areas include advanced materials, production technology platforms, advanced manufacturing processes, and data and design infrastructure.

Research. As previously reported, a bill in the House called the Research Works Act (RWA) has pushed for limited public access to the results of federally-funded research. Last week, after a major publisher of scientific journals indicated they would not support the bill, the House sponsors of RWA announced that they would no longer move the bill forward.

As reported last week, the Office of Management and Budget (OMBOffice of Management and Budget) officially released its advanced notice of proposed guidance regarding reforms to circular A-21 and other government circulars which govern cost recovery associated with federal grants. The deadline for public comment on the proposed reforms is March 29, 2012.

Space. The General Accountability Office (GAO) released a NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration-focused report entitled Assessments of Selected Large-Scale Projects. In the report, GAO criticizes NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration’s management of large projects such as the James Webb Telescope (JWT) and the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), which have experienced significant costs overruns and schedule delays. According to the report, these two projects alone “account for approximately $11.4 billion—or 51 percent—of the total life-cycle costs for the 15 projects in implementation during our review.”

After recent concerns over the NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration FYFiscal Year 2013 budget request, which included a cut to its Mars program, NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration announced that it would create a Mars Planning Group to identify the path forward for robotic Mars exploration. According to SpacePolicyOnline, NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Associate Administrator for Science, John Grunsfeld, in making the announcement stated that “he strongly believes it is important to keep Mars exploration vibrant to retain critical workforce skills as well as public and political interest in exploring the planet both with robots and humans.”

In Print

The Washington Post’s EdDepartment of Education O’Keefe reports on a new report from GAO outlining instances of duplication in federal spending. According to the report, one example of this duplication is “the lack of a coordinated reporting system makes it difficult for the NIHNational Institutes of Health, Defense Department and Department of Veterans Affairs to track health research funded by other federal agencies…meaning agencies may issue duplicative grants to different research projects on the same topic.”

Pennsylvania Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA) writes in the American Physical Society’s Capitol Hill Quarterly about how government-backed scientific research is a key to America’s competitiveness.

Louis Sullivan, President George H. W. Bush’s Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHSHealth and Human Services), writes in Florida’s Bradenton Herald about how medical research funding cuts could be hazardous to America’s health.

The Task Force on American Innovation recently announced a video contest, encouraging students to submit short videos demonstrating how federally funded scientific research in the physical sciences has resulted in discoveries that have enhanced competitiveness and job creation, improved quality of life, and/or strengthened national security. Prizes include cash and a trip to Washington, DC for the first place winner.

What’s on Deck

Tuesday

• The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee will hold a hearing on Keeping America Competitive Through Investments in R&D.
• The House Appropriations Committee will hold subcommittee hearings on the FYFiscal Year 2013 budget requests for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHSHealth and Human Services), the USGS, and the NSFNational Science Foundation.
• The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee will hold subcommittee hearings on the FYFiscal Year 2013 budget requests for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NISTNational Institute of Standards and Technology), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPAEnvironmental Protection Agency), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAANational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).

Wednesday

• The Senate Appropriations Committee will hold a hearing on the FYFiscal Year 2013 budget request for the HHSHealth and Human Services.
• The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee will hold hearings on the FY2013 budget requests for the Coast Guard and NOAANational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and on Priorities, Plans, and Progress of the Nation’s Space Program.

Thursday

• The Senate Appropriations Committee will hold a hearing on the FYFiscal Year 2013 budget request for the Department of Homeland Security (DHSDepartment of Homeland Security).
• The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on the FYFiscal Year 2013 budget request for the DHSDepartment of Homeland Security.
• The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on the Fiscal Year 2013 National Defense Authorization Budget Request for National Security Space Activities.
• The House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing on the FYFiscal Year 2013 budget request for the Department of Energy (DOEDepartment of Energy).