Update on Research Funding via Federal Agencies September 8, 2021
Research Development's Strategic Intelligence team monitors the federal budget and funding landscape and produces this memo on a bi-weekly basis to share information that may impact ASU research.
Science Policy Legislation
Pandemic Readiness and Climate Change are Among Federal Research Priorities for 2023
Although the budget process for fiscal 2022 is not complete yet, the White House is already starting to think about fiscal 2023. Shalanda Young, acting director of OMB, and Eric Lander, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, wrote a memo to all heads of executive departments and agencies. The priority areas they outlined were: pandemic readiness and prevention; tackling climate change; emerging technologies; equity; national security; and economic resilience. These priorities reflect the focuses the Biden administration has been championing since coming into office in January.
Call for Nominations: Identifying Opportunities at the Interface of Chemistry and Quantum Information Science
The National Academies is seeking nominations for volunteer experts to serve on a committee responsible for identifying research opportunities at the interface of chemistry and quantum information science. Nominations for committee members and/or reviewers for this study are due by September 17, 2021.
Upcoming NSF Event - The Current and Future State of HSIs
https://www.nsf.gov/events/event_summ.jsp?cntn_id=303276&org=NSF
As part of a speaker series highlighting current research on HSIs, NSF will host this webinar on 9/8. Additional webinars will be hosted every Wednesday in September on various HSI-related topics.
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Upcoming NIH Council Meetings
NIH Institutes and Centers are hosting their Fall council meetings. Click the above link for a schedule of upcoming meetings.
- The National Cancer Institute (NCI) hosted meetings from 8/31-9/1 - materials from those sessions can be found here: https://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/ncab/0821/index.htm
- The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Advisory Council hosted meetings from 8/31-9/1 - materials from those sessions can be found here: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/advisory-and-peer-review-committees/advisory-council
- The following council sessions occur this week:
- The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is scheduled from 9/7-9/8.
- The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) is scheduled for 9/7.
- The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) is scheduled from 9/9-9/10.
- The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) is scheduled from 9/9-9/10.
- The NIH Office of the Director is scheduled from 9/8-9/9.
National Science Foundation (NSF)
NSF selects Alicia J. Knoedler to lead its Office of Integrative Activities | NSF - National Science Foundation
https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=303325
The U.S. National Science Foundation has selected Alicia J. Knoedler to lead its Office of Integrative Activities. Prior to her NSF appointment, Knoedler led efforts in strategic growth of research activities and oversaw the management of research operations as the vice president of Research and Innovation at Miami University in Ohio.
NSF Virtual Grants Conference
https://nsfpolicyoutreach.com/
The National Science Foundation (NSF) will be hosting the Fall 2021 NSF Virtual Grants Conference from October 4 to 8, 2021. The conference is designed to give new faculty, researchers, and administrators key insights into a wide range of current issues at NSF. NSF program officers will be providing up-to-date information about specific funding opportunities and answering attendee questions.
NSF Awards New Quantum Institutes and Quantum Foundry
Expanding upon its 2020 establishment of three Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes, the U.S. National Science Foundation is now launching two additional institutes to advance quantum biological sensing and quantum simulation. As with last year’s cohort, NSF expects to support each institute with an investment of $25 million over its multi-year lifecycle. The Institutes were awarded to the University of Maryland - NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Robust Quantum Simulation - and the University of Chicago - NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Quantum Sensing in Biophysics and Bioengineering.
Department of Energy (DoE)
Can the US Compete in Basic Energy Sciences? Critical research frontiers and strategies
In light of these concerns, the Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (BESAC) has been charged by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to identify critical research areas in basic energy sciences; to examine U.S. competitiveness in these areas, in major research facilities and tools, and in funding mechanisms; and to suggest strategies that could enhance the U.S. position in comparison to its global competitors.
AIP Summary: https://www.aip.org/fyi/2021/doe-panel-finds-us-falling-behind-basic-energy-sciences
FY22 Budget Outlook: DOE Applied Energy RD&D
https://www.aip.org/fyi/2021/fy22-budget-outlook-doe-applied-energy-rdd
For fiscal year 2022, the Biden administration has asked Congress to significantly expand the programs’ annual budgets, with proposed topline boosts ranging from 19% for DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) to 65% for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). Combined, all increases would amount to more than $2 billion.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
HHS Establishes Office of Climate Change and Health Equity
HHS is establishing the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (OCCHE) in response to President Joe Biden’s Executive Order Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. This is the first office of its kind at the national level to address climate change and health equity. The Office’s mission is to protect vulnerable communities who disproportionately bear the brunt of pollution and climate-driven disasters, such as drought and wildfires, at the expense of public health.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Draft House Infrastructure Bill Funds NASA & NOAA Space Programs, But Not HLS
NASA will get an extra $4.4 billion if Congress agrees with draft legislation proposed by the House committee that oversees the agency. While generous, it is far short of what NASA Administrator Bill Nelson is seeking and does not include any money for a second lunar lander for the Artemis program. The $4.4 billion is on top of the President’s $24.8 billion budget request for FY2022 that is separately working its way through the normal congressional appropriations process. The House Appropriations Committee approved $25 billion, including a plus-up for NASA’s nuclear propulsion program, but funds only one HLS as the President requested.
US Department of Agriculture (USDA)
USDA Announces Proposed Framework for Advancing Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 and Other Emerging Zoonotic Diseases through the American Rescue Plan
On 8/24/2021, the USDA announced it is dedicating $300 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to conduct surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 and other emerging and zoonotic diseases in susceptible animals and build an early warning system to alert public health partners to potential threats so they can take steps sooner to prevent or limit the next global pandemic. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is leading this effort and released a strategic framework for public comment. The document outlines how the agency will focus its efforts to prevent, detect, investigate and respond to current and future threats. The Agency will also be hosting a series of webinars to give interested stakeholders the opportunity to learn more about the framework and ask questions before submitting written comments. The 45-day public comment period closes on October 8, 2021.