Earlier this month, the National Institutes of Health released an updated table of Estimates of Funding for Various Research, Condition, and Disease Categories. The table displays the annual support level for various research, condition and disease categories based on grants, contracts and other funding mechanisms used across NIH. There are 218 research and disease areas covered by the table.
NIH notes that consistent with the Administration’s emphasis on transparency, a separate column has been added to distinguish FY 2009 actual support funded from American Recovery & Reinvestment Act accounts from projects funded by regular NIH appropriations.
This type of data can be used in many ways, including Research Takes Cents, comparisons of selected American leisure spending to the costs associated with conducting research.
For example, Americans spent more than $8.8 billion on Super Bowl game-related merchandise, apparel and snacks, according to the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association. That could fund more than 47 years of NIH research into head and spine trauma injuries at FY 2010 funding levels (estimated $184 million).
An article by Meredith Wadman in the February 2010 issue of Nature Medicine explains an amendment to the health care reform bill inserted by Senator Arlen Specter which would create the Cures Acceleration Network (CAN). The network, managed by the National Institutes of Health director and “a board of 24 experts drawn from academia, venture capital firms, government agencies and disease advocacy groups,” would award grants to facilitate translational research. Research!America President Mary Woolley is quoted in the article:
The Specter proposal is being hailed by disease and research advocacy groups. Specter “once again has his finger on the pulse of public sentiment,” says Mary Woolley, the president of Research!America, an advocacy group based in Alexandria, Virginia. “The public wants more solutions and they want them faster. That’s exactly what this CAN amendment is poised to accomplish.”
The public context for research is as difficult to predict as the course of research itself. The public context I’m referring to consists of the current level and nature of public support, reflected (1) by the level of attention and support of elected officials, (2) by media attention- positive and negative-to research and the people and institutions that conduct it, and, importantly, (3) by organized patient/voluntary health organizations, committed to smart research efficiently translated to cures, treatments and prevention.
For our alliance members, Research!America keeps a finger firmly on the pulse of this public context, listening to questions and concerns and framing messages with this knowledge base firmly in mind. One message, clearly delivered in the Massachusetts’ January 20 election is “pay more attention to jobs.” We should not miss the importance now of emphasizing job creation and maintenance as one of three important benefits of investment in research, along with improvements in health and quality of life and the reality that research drives over half the U.S. economy.
Research creates businesses (more jobs, more growth for communities and the nation) and ensures U.S. economic and scientific leadership. This latter should by no means be taken for granted. Each dollar not invested is a step toward eventual loss of leadership, even competitiveness. As I wrote in a letter in January in The New York Times, this is “the 21st-century equivalent of a Sputnik wake-up call and should galvanize American determination to maintain scientific leadership.” Won’t you join us in delivering this wake-up call? Nothing less than our economy is at stake.
Francis Collins, MD, PhD, director of the National Institutes of Health, was interviewed this week on EarthSky, a science radio show. Collins spoke about his priorities for NIH and the importance of NIH funding to biomedical research in the U.S. His full interview is available below.
The Chicago Council on Science and Technology (C2ST) seeks to be the preeminent regional consortium for science and technology-related education and policy and a prominent voice nationally. C2ST advocates for regional science policy and is among the nation’s leading sources of information on policy issues of science and technology.
C2ST, a nonprofit membership organization established in 2006, works to link to a network of individuals and heighten the awareness of science and technology in the greater Chicago community.
“Our rich agenda includes basic and applied science and technology from areas spanning bioscience and engineering,” said Alan Schriesheim, PhD, co-founder and president. “Specifically, National Institutes of Health funding is vital for producing the advanced research and development that we highlight.”
The council’s advocacy strategy includes delivering relevant science and technology programs to wide audiences. One such program is its upcoming Women in Science Symposium-Chicago 2010, to be presented April 17 in partnership with Association for Women in Science-Chicago Area Chapter.
Research!America board member Mary J.C. Hendrix, PhD, of Children’s Memorial Research Center in Chicago, is on the steering committee for this event.
Women scientists at the academic, industry and government levels will attend and be able to better recognize the number and diversity of their counterparts. The symposium aims to create a sense of solidarity among women in science across disciplines and broaden the spectrum of opportunities for women scientists in Chicago.
President Obama recently announced the latest recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). These up-and-coming scientists are chosen for their innovative, cutting-edge research and commitment to community service.
The awardees include 12 researchers from the National Institutes of Health researchers and 20 from the National Science Foundation. They will receive up to a five-year grant to continue their research.
Research!America today released a 2010 update of our Research: An Economic Driver fact sheet with a greater emphasis on jobs and a lasting recovery. The fact sheet highlights that:
• Innovation is the key to global competitiveness, new and better jobs, a resilient economy and the attainment of essential national goals;
• Eighty-eight percent of Americans think that investing in research is important to job creation and incomes;
• Seventeen of the 30 fastest-growing occupations in the U.S. are related to medical research or health care; and
• Research saves money as well as lives: for instance, use of the polio vaccine has saved the U.S. an estimated $180 billion in treatment costs for the disease.
We’ve assembled these facts and more to make the economic case for investing in research. We encourage you to use this important advocacy tool as Congress starts their work on FY 2011 funding for research to improve health.
Martha N. Hill, PhD, RN, Dean of the School of Nursing at Johns Hopkins University, a Research!America member, and Research!America board member, was named an honorary member of Alpha Omega Alpha, the national medical honor society.
In granting this honorary membership to Hill, Alpha Omega Alpha acknowledges her work in integrating scholarship with patient, provider, and system-level interventions to improve care and outcomes for vulnerable and underserved populations, particularly among young, urban African-American men.
President Obama’s FY 2011 budget was released to Congress today. In addition to $32.2 billion for the National Institutes of Health, the President requested $611 million for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. This would represent a $214 million (54%) increase over FY 2010. $286 million is targeted for comparative effectiveness research.
Research!America member the American Public Health Association detailed the FY 2011 budget request for the CDC. The request includes $6.342 billion for CDC, a $125 million cut (2%) over the FY 2010 appropriation of $6.467 billion. Detailed information about the budget is available here.
This morning, President Obama transmitted his FY 2011 budget to Congress, including a message explaining his priorities and plans to continue recovering the economy.
My Budget includes funds to lay the groundwork for these reforms—by investing in health information technology, patient-centered research, and prevention and wellness—as well as to improve the health of the Nation by increasing the number of primary care physicians, protecting the safety of our food and drugs, and investing in critical biomedical research.
The budget included $32.2 billion for the National Institutes of Health, a 3.2% increase from FY 2011. The Office of Management and Budget provides a fact sheet detailing the budgets of other federal agencies in the Department of Health and Human Services.
Bloomberg published an article on the ways that FY 2011 research funding may fall short. While the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided a boost for health research, continued investment is needed to spur innovation and keep the U.S. competitive.
“Whenever there is a breakthrough in health care, the benefit is enjoyed worldwide,” she said. “But the economic benefit goes to the country where the breakthrough is made. Will those new startups be here or will they be in Singapore or India or China?
“Japan has been cutting its spending in those years and many see that as ceding the No. 2 position in the world to China,” Woolley said. “It could happen to the U.S. It happened before in autos and consumer electronics.”
Today’s Orlando Business Journal includes an article on medical research funding in Florida. Research!America’s state-by-state research funding maps were referenced in the article, which is available online to subscribers only.
Florida pulled in $100 million for medical research last year through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, said Alexandria, Va.-based Research!America, which tracks research funding.
More than half of that funding, or $66 million, was split between the Gainesville area, which includes the research-intensive University of Florida, and South Florida. Only about 3 percent, or $3 million, came to the Central Florida area.
But that’s likely to change as Orlando amps up its medical research infrastructure with a new medical school, new state-of-the-art research facilities, star scientists and powerful partners.
Robert Black, MD, MPH, a 2006 Paul G. Rogers Society Ambassador, is the recipient of the 2010 Programme for Global Paediatric Research Award for Outstanding Contributions to Global Child Health. Black’s research focuses on paediatric nutrition and infectious diseases. He is the Edgar Berman Professor and Chair of the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, a Research!America member.
See the announcement from Johns Hopkins.
Spotlight on Member Blogs is a monthly feature to highlight some of our partners in the health and advocacy blogosphere.
The American Autoimmune Related Disease Association started a blog late last year to highlight recent research and treatments for autoimmune diseases. Earlier this month, a post announcing a new treatment for rheumatoid arthritis gave background to the disease and its impact on 1.3 million Americans.
We at AARDA are pleased with the FDA’s approval of this new drug as it offers a promising new option available to those suffering from this debilitating autoimmune disease, especially those who have failed other forms of treatment. Of the more than 80 autoimmune diseases, RA is one of the most common and one of the more difficult autoimmune rheumatic diseases to control.
Hopes and Cures is a blog run by Biotechnology Industry Organization with a focus on biomedical research leading to cures for life-threatening illnesses. In addition to entries related to biotechnology policy, a recent post recommends a recent PBS program on the diagnosis of rare diseases. Free DVDs of the series are available from the Children’s Rare Disease Network.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Blog shares research published by LLS-funded scientists and offers a direct phone line to “information specialists” who can tell you more about the findings.
Research!America recently welcomed the Chicago Council on Science and Technology as a member. They publish Cyberside Chat, a blog which seeks feedback on the organization’s local science-focused events. According to a recent post, additional multimedia content from events is available to members.
Research!America’s board chair, former Illinois Congressman John Edward Porter, and president, Mary Woolley, urge President Obama to make research a priority in his upcoming FY 2011 budget proposal.
Porter said, “The President has a chance to show the American people that investing in health and medical research is one of his strategies for creating jobs now for Americans, as well as for finding life-saving treatments for diseases that currently have none. Investing in research today gives us a stronger economic future for our children and grandchildren-and is the only way we will continue our leadership in science and innovation.”
He added, “Local and state economies throughout the U.S. are still feeling a deep impact from the economic recession. Federal research funding creates jobs at universities, small businesses and research institutes that stimulate local economies. Investing in health and medical research must be a priority in 2011, so we don’t lose the new capacity and momentum gained from stimulus dollars that went to research.”
Continue reading for Research!America’s budget recommendations for federal research agencies.
The Scientist’s Bob Grant asked members of the research community what a budget freeze would mean for science in an entry posted today on their NewsBlog. Research!America President Mary Woolley was quoted expressing concern for the impact of the freeze on “an innovation-driven economy.” Research!America members Emory University and the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology also responded.
“We’re hopeful that science is enough of a priority in the president’s agenda that the scientific agencies we care about will not be included [in the freeze,” FASEB spokesperson Carrie Wolinetz told The Scientist. “It’s something that we’re waiting to hear more details about.”
Research!America President Mary Woolley was quoted on MSNBC.com today in their “Daily Dose” health reform section. MSNBC asked, “Fact or fiction? President Obama’s budget freeze won’t have a big impact on federal health care spending.” Woolley answers, “Fact.”
“We are extremely concerned about the proposed freeze on non-security discretionary spending, particularly in light of the compelling evidence that an innovation-driven economy is the future. We’re looking to the President for national priority-setting that’s consistent with that goal.”
Yesterday, it was announced that President Obama would propose a budget freeze on federal spending, with the exception of defense.
An $8 million National Institutes of Health grant provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will fund the completion of an unfinished floor of the Biomedical Research Tower at Ohio State University Medical Center, a Research!America member. The project will be the second phase of construction since the Tower’s opening in 2006, where Research!America president Mary Woolley gave a keynote presentation applauding research and advocacy for health taking place at the University.
The finished floor will house cancer researchers and their teams, adding to the number of scientists that will eventually total 800 when the tower is completed, according to OSU Medical Center.
Richard Love, MD, Ambassador for the Paul G. Rogers Society for Global Health Research, wrote a post for Global Health magazine’s blog stressing the importance of breast cancer research in lower-income countries in Asia.
So why is it important for us to connect through research to our sisters in the developing world? Because it is our differences as human beings that open a window into the full spectrum of this disease.
Here is what we know: A large majority of women in the U.S. are of European descent, and as such are at risk of different types of breast cancer and different side effects from treatments than African-American or Asian-American women. We are only beginning to understand the how factors like genetics, environment and hormones affect breast cancer risk, so there is a great deal that we can learn by studying these factors in different populations. Global health research can give us important lessons to use for treatment of breast cancer among women with all ethnic and genetic backgrounds in the United States.
Love went on to outline three promising areas of breast cancer research that he and his colleagues are carrying out in Bangladesh. The impact of his research will be felt in Bangladesh and worldwide. Continue reading here.
Research!America member NARSAD and partners recently launched Bring Change 2 Mind, a public service campaign spearheaded by Glenn Close. The actress and others are speaking out for new research to prevent and treat mental illnesses and battling stigma against these disorders.
You can watch other videos or upload a video sharing your story at bringchange2mind.org.
The National Science Board, governing body of the National Science Foundation, released a “report card” for science and engineering in the U.S., including data on R&D spending, public attitudes towards science and where the U.S. stands compared to other nations. Kei Koizumi, assistant director for federal research and development with the Office of Science and Technology Policy, wrote a post for the OSTP blog about what the Indicators mean for the Obama administration, which has shown its support for science in the past year.
The latest edition of Indicators tells us that the state of U.S. science and engineering is strong, but that U.S. dominance of world science and engineering has eroded significantly in recent years, primarily because of rapidly increasing capabilities among East Asian nations, particularly China.
…
[T]he Obama Administration is committed to evidence-based policymaking and making data used for policymaking accessible, relevant, and timely. Indeed, the President himself has on many occasions reiterated his deep appreciation of the importance of science, engineering, and technology to finding solutions to the many challenges that today face the country, including building a prosperous and innovative U.S. economy of the future, reducing dependence on foreign energy sources while mitigating the impacts of harmful climate change, and delivering high-quality health care to every American.
Koizumi’s post is available here and the report is available here.
The public context for research is as difficult to predict as the course of research itself. The public context I’m referring to consists of the current level and nature of public support, reflected (1) by the level of attention and support of elected officials, (2) by media attention- positive and negative-to research and the people and institutions that conduct it, and, importantly, (3) by organized patient/voluntary health organizations, committed to smart research efficiently translated to cures, treatments and prevention.
The