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Research!America is dedicated to ensuring a strong public and private sector investment in research to improve health at a level warranted by scientific opportunity and supported by public opinion. Member organizations and others share their perspectives on a wide variety of topics relating to public and private sector research and innovation, and public health. The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of Research!America.

Recent Blog Posts

Mary Woolley's Weekly Letter: Praise, Engage, Advocate

By Mary Woolley on May 6, 2021
Dear Research Advocate, We have exciting news! Research!America’s 2021 Advocacy Awards program on Thursday, May 13 from 4-6 p.m. ET will feature Oprah Winfrey in an exclusive interview with honoree Dr. Tony Fauci. Other special guests Lester Holt, Anchor of NBC Nightly News and Dateline NBC , and NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins will be among those recognizing an extraordinary group of awardees. Don’t miss it! Register here for the event and please spread the word among friends and colleagues. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, the event is free to all. If you would like to make a gift in recognition of the honorees, which will help support Research!America’s efforts to speed medical...
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Americans Support Investment in Research

By Research!America on May 5, 2021
According to results from a Zogby Analytics survey commissioned by Research!America in January 2021, a majority of Americans support research investment. More than 75% believe investing in research is important for achieving key priorities, from economic recovery and job creation to preventing and curing illnesses to maintaining global competitiveness. Three-quarters strongly or somewhat favor doubling federal spending on research over the next five years, and 6 in 10 say they would be willing to pay more in taxes if that money would be spent on medical research. Support for funding university research is high, with about 80% approval for federal and state funding of university research...
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Mary Woolley's Weekly Letter:100 Days Today

By Mary Woolley on April 29, 2021
Dear Research Advocate, On his 99th day in office, President Biden delivered a policy-focused address to a joint session of Congress. It featured a science strong message, noting how our nation is falling behind in our R&D investment, very much echoing the recommendations of the Science and Technology Action Plan that we’ve mentioned regularly in this letter. I was struck that the President equated the importance of breakthroughs for health security with breakthroughs in defense security – putting these investments, at least rhetorically, on a level playing field, of equally high value for the American public. View Research!America’s statement on the President’s remarks here . On the...
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Microgrant Spotlight: The Activist Lab at the University of South Florida College of Public Health

By Rolando Trejos Saucedo on April 27, 2021
The Activist Lab at the University of South Florida College of Public Health serves as a resource for students to develop skills and gain experience in advocacy, education, research, leadership, and service. For their 2021 Civic Engagement Microgrant project, the Activist Lab developed a new podcast series to highlight topics related to environmental health, climate change, and advocacy. Join us below to learn more about the Activist Lab and its graduate student leader, Rolando Trejos Saucedo. Please tell us about your microgrant project. Our microgrant project includes a new podcast series, Advocation-Change it Up , consisting of five episodes on environmental health, climate change, and...
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Americans Believe the U.S. Should Be a Global Leader in Research

By Research!America on April 26, 2021
While the United States has been the uncontested leader in research & development (R&D) spending for decades, global trends in R&D investment pose a growing threat to U.S. leadership. The share of U.S. GDP devoted public R&D investment continues to shrink, threatening our ability to firmly stand on the cutting edge of scientific innovation. Nearly 90% of Americans say it is important for the U.S. to be a global leader in health and scientific research. Eight in 10 believe it is important for the U.S. to set and achieve a goal of spending 3%-5% of the GDP on research and development, as countries like Japan and Korea have done. Currently, the U.S. spends 0.7% of its GDP on...
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Survey Data Shows Americans are Concerned About Climate Change

By Research!America on April 22, 2021
Although climate change is often portrayed as a polarizing issue, it is a significant concern for Americans, according to a Research!America survey. Well over half of those surveyed said that climate change is already harming their own health, and similar numbers believe climate change is harming the health of others in their household, of Americans in general, and of people around the world. Two-thirds believe climate change will harm their own health “a great deal” or “a moderate amount” in the next 10 years, and only 14% said they believed climate change would not harm their health or the health of their household at all in the next 10 years. Multiple systems, including public health...
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Mary Woolley's Weekly Letter: Stewardship and Leadership

By Mary Woolley on April 22, 2021
Dear Research Advocate, Earth Day: Today, people around the world are taking action to better the environment and our planet. As the public clearly recognizes , threats to the environment are threats to our health. Check out this evidence-based resource from The Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health detailing the links between climate change and health. On the Hill: President Biden will give his first address to a joint session of Congress next Wednesday. If the Administration’s initial budget proposal is any indication, he will highlight the importance of robust investment in science & technology. In that context... Take Action Now: The President’s infrastructure package...
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Americans Value Health Disparities Research

By Research!America on April 21, 2021
According to a Research!America survey, a large majority of Americans support research to eliminate health disparities. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted health disparities that exist along racial, ethnic, geographic, and economic lines. However, these disparities - in rates of chronic illnesses, in infant mortality, and in health outcomes - existed long before the pandemic. Research into the underlying causes and solutions can help eliminate these disparities in the future. Americans largely support research looking into health disparities, with over half saying it is very important to conduct this type of research. Check out our Public Opinion Polls page to see the full results from...
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Americans Think STEM Education Deserves Higher Priority

By Research!America on April 19, 2021
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is in the process of creating a national call to action to improve science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education and is seeking public stakeholder feedback. According to the results of a recently-commissioned public opinion survey, a strong majority of Americans believe it is important to give higher priority to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. When asked whether they agreed or disagreed that the federal government should assign higher priority to improving STEM education, 84% said they strongly or somewhat agreed. This number is up from 69% in January 2017, possibly indicating a rising...
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Mary Woolley's Weekly Letter: Collaboration, Coordination, Innovation

By Mary Woolley on April 15, 2021
Dear Research Advocate, Budget Watch: The Biden Administration has released a “skinny budget,” a glimpse into the more detailed Fiscal Year 2022 budget proposal the President is expected to release in May. Read our statement here . The proposal places a strong emphasis on science, technology, and public health. We firmly believe this emphasis can carry over, on a bipartisan basis, to the Congressional appropriations process. With help from advocates, that is. Here’s one way to weigh in: three “Dear Colleague” letters (requests from one Member of Congress to their colleagues) are circulating in the House right now. Ask your representative to sign on to these letters, which support robust...
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The capabilities are enormous, a little bit of research can pay off quite a bit in the long run.
Paul D’ Addario, retinitis pigmentosa patient