Take Action: Your August Advocacy Guide
The August recess in Congress is in full swing, which is the perfect time to go to your representatives’ town halls or reach out to their district offices to make the case that the proposed OMB rule on federal grantmaking must be stopped. The recently passed Senate Continuing Resolution (here is a good refresher on CRs) would delay the OMB rule until Dec. 11, but the House needs to sign off and ultimately we need the rule to be stopped. To support your advocacy, we developed this August Recess Advocacy Guide. Please share this LinkedIn post about the guide with your networks. But let’s face it: advocacy can seem intimidating. In case you missed our interactive advocacy 101 and live phone bank session earlier this week, you can watch the training to see how easy it can be. Together, we can make a difference.
Russ’s Corner
Back-to-school season is underway and graduate students and postdocs are returning to campuses all across the U.S. this fall – or are they?
With the current climate of instability facing researchers in the U.S., it’s no surprise that our talented pipeline is looking fragile. In fact, a study by the Association of American Universities (AAU) shows that major research universities accepted 15% fewer applicants to doctoral programs this fall when compared to last fall’s admissions. Another AAU survey of Ph.D. students found that only 44% said it was likely they would stay in academia.
In the short term this is harmful to local economies around the country that depend on a robust university presence. In the long term, this hamstrings our nation’s capacity for future innovation and discoveries.
Thanks to our members and donors, Research!America is playing its part in supporting researchers early in their careers. From providing microgrants for public engagement activities, to hosting learning lunches and hiring and mentoring post-baccalaureate interns and post-doctoral fellows, Research!America supports early-career researchers with a variety of programming.
Across the nation, early-career researchers represent the hope of future breakthroughs that patients and their families depend on. Federal research funding that is growing, predictable, and merit-based underpins this hope. Join us as we keep up the fight.
Russ
National Health Research Forum: Registration is now open for the 2026 National Health Research Forum! Join us on Wednesday, Sept. 23, at the Grand Hyatt Washington in Washington, D.C. for our 31st annual forum. This year’s program unveils our upcoming report, “U.S. Investments in Medical and Health Research and Development 2021-2025.” The report will provide new insights into medical and health R&D investment by sector across the United States. The Forum will also feature an early-career researcher poster session spotlighting Research!America’s microgrant and civic engagement projects and interactive discussions on topics central to the future of science and medical progress. The Forum is free, but space is limited, so secure your spot today.
U.S. R&D Budget Primer: Speaking of U.S. R&D, Research!America member AAAS has launched an online course designed to build a foundational understanding of the U.S. federal research and development (R&D) budget process. This resource, The U.S. Federal Research and Development (R&D) Budget 101, will be open to the public until Sept. 30. After that, it will be free to AAAS members only.
Making the NSF Even Better: The American Physical Society (APS) is seeking community input on maximizing the potential of a critical strategic asset: the National Science Foundation. The NSF Forward initiative is gathering suggestions to enhance the NSF to meet the future scientific needs of the country.
There is still time to submit comments to the NSF on its draft Guidance on Financial Assistance, which raises serious concerns by “pre-applying” the harmful changes included in OMB’s proposed rule. Even if you simply register your opposition to incorporating these changes before the rule is finalized, you will be raising the volume against the proposed rule’s changes. See Research!America’s commenthere. If you’re short on time, APS has created a portal with a comment template that you can personalize, and it will submit your comment. The deadline for submitting comments is Monday, Aug. 24.
Join Research!America: If you haven’t already, join our multi-sector alliance! The membership process is straightforward, the benefits are compelling, and your participation informs and intensifies our community’s influence on and off Capitol Hill. Email Associate Director of Membership and Development Operations Donald Cook for more information.