2025: A Year in Review
As we reflect on 2025 – a year marked by significant challenges for the medical and health research community – Research!America remains steadfast in ensuring that science continues to be a national priority. From pushing back against funding threats to promoting beneficial R&D policies to convening the R&D community and providing timely resources, we have worked to keep the importance of science visible on Capitol Hill, in the media, and in communities nationwide. Even amid funding pressures and disruptions to research, we have continued to educate policymakers, elevate the voice of science, and equip our members with essential public opinion data, briefings, and advocacy tools. As we enter the new year with the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations process still underway, we remain hopeful that the collective strength of our community will help secure the robust support that health and research agencies need.
In 2025, we:
- Launched Americans for Medical Research, a public awareness campaign in the beltway and key states, supported by more than 20 science societies.
- Held 54 congressional meetings to strengthen support for NIH, other key research and public health agencies, and the discovery-development continuum as a whole.
- The Science and Technology Action Committee (STAC) held 15 congressional meetings to emphasize the connection between science funding and national security, the economy, and global leadership in S&T.
- Held 36 meetings with federal officials to make the case for funding and policies that strengthen and elevate the priority of public and private sector-driven R&D.
- Produced 31 new policy and advocacy resources for alliance members, including our August Advocacy Toolkit, fact sheets, templates, and other how-tos.
- Held 36 virtual alliance discussions, including alliance member-only meetings that provided opportunities for off-the-record engagement with key federal officials, congressional staff, and political strategists from both sides of the aisle.
- Sent 52 letters to Congress, including four from STAC.
- Sent 11 letters to the administration, including two from STAC.
- Continued to convene our informal ARPA-H coalition to share information and work to ensure ARPA-H gains a solid footing without supplanting other NIH funding streams.
- Hosted a standing-room-only Hill briefing on the critical role of genetically targeted technologies, featuring Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO-01) and leaders from academia, industry, and patient advocacy organizations.
- Played an active role in preventing the imposition of a 15% cap on many federal science agencies. For NIH alone, this would have drained an estimated $4 billion from U.S.-led research.
- Educated policymakers on what “forward” or “multi-year” funding is, and the harmful effects of an abrupt shift in its use for NIH grants.
- Collaborated directly with NIH to lessen the negative impact of the transition to a “linked grants” system for foreign subgrantees, helping secure alternatives to grant terminations for research involving human subjects.
- Delivered keynotes and presentations to more than 60 universities, scientific societies, industry, and other groups.
- STAC held two Congressional receptions featuring bipartisan, bicameral remarks by members of Congress.
Celebration, Inspiration, Engagement, Insights
Advocacy Awards
Our 2025 Advocacy Awards celebrated 13 honorees for contributions to medical and public health research and for leadership in advocacy including former NIH Director Monica M. Bertagnolli, M.D., who received the Meeting the Moment for Public Health Award, as well as U.S. Representatives Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-18) and Frank Lucas (R-OK-3) who each received the Edwin C. Whitehead Award for Medical Research Advocacy.
Outreach and Visibility
Weekly Letter
Mary Woolley’s Weekly Letter continues to be a mainstay within the research advocacy community. It now has a circulation of more than 21,000, up from just over 14,000 at the beginning of January 2025, demonstrating the need for in-the-moment information.
In the Media
Research!America had a strong year of press visibility. In 2025, we appeared in 1,945+ news articles and stories. Of note is our coverage in The New York Times, CNN, The Associated Press, The Boston Globe, Politico, Bloomberg Government, STAT+, The Lancet, Issues in Science and Technology, Roll Call, The Hill, and Axios.
Keeping a Pulse on Public Opinion
Surveys
Our America Speaks: Poll Data Summary, Volume 25 summarized data from our January 2025 annual survey, which gauged public sentiment about Americans’ perspectives on medical and health research.
This year, we commissioned a Gen Z and Science Project, which used digital analysis, focus groups, and survey research to investigate which messages, types of information, and means of communication are most effective in bolstering young people’s engagement with science.
Engaging with Experts and Stakeholders
National Health Research Forum
The 2025 National Health Research Forum took place virtually on Sept. 3 and 10, and in-person on Sept. 17. This year, we introduced a dynamic new format that provided actionable insights and fostered collaborative discussions into critical health and scientific challenges facing the country as we explored this year’s theme: The Pulse of Progress.
Some highlights include:
- Nearly 2,000 registrants across virtual and in-person programming.
- A keynote address by NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya.
- A newly-debuted early career civic science poster session featuring recipients of Research!America’s Civic Engagement Microgrant Program and Public Engagement Content Awards.
- Cross-sector strategy sessions exploring the theme of effective advocacy for the entire R&D ecosystem.
- The 2025 Forum received national media coverage and was featured in Politico and Bloomberg.
Congressional Briefings
In 2025, we were pleased to increase our focus on in-person congressional briefings. Our Exploring the Capability and Potential of Genetically Targeted Technology briefing, hosted on March 5, discussed the science behind genetically targeted technology and the extraordinary capability it holds to address urgent unmet medical needs. Our 2025 programming featured expert panelists, remarks from Congressional champions, as well as new infographic resources for Congressional staff and advocates. We look forward to a continued educational presence on the Hill in 2026.
See our events calendar for more information on upcoming briefings.
Empowering Early Career Scientists and Building Science Trust
Civic Science Programs
Early career scientists are increasingly motivated to engage with their local communities and our Civic Engagement Microgrant Program, now in its 8th year, has been part of this important trend thanks to foundation support. In 2025, we provided 24 microgrants to early career STEMM groups across the country. In November, we launched the 2025-2026 cycle and received a record-setting 132 applications, a 22% increase over last year.
We also completed a successful first year of a new civic science opportunity – the Public Engagement Content Awards, focused on the creation of open-access curricula in skills needed for effective public engagement. We provided 11 awards of up to $5,000 each and released the innovative training content on our website.
Early Career Scientists at the National Health Research Forum
At the 2025 National Health Research Forum, we were excited to present dedicated early career programming designed to equip the next generation of leaders in health research with the skills needed to navigate a challenging environment. We held a Sept. 3 virtual career tour and resume workshop and invited several early career researchers who were recipients of Research!America’s Civic Engagement Microgrant Program and Public Engagement Content Awards to present their research.
Campaigns/Advocacy
Americans for Medical Research
In light of unprecedented challenges to federally funded medical research in 2025, Research!America, with support from over 20 scientific societies and many foundations, led a public education and awareness advertising campaign: Americans for Medical Research. Launched in September, the campaign was active in the Beltway and in four states: Kansas, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Utah.
- So far, the campaign has generated over 6 million views of ads and 340,000 visits to the website.
- Our science society partners helped to find dozens of stories from patients, researchers and clinicians impacted by cuts to NIH. Some made their way into op eds, others drew attention on the website.
- The campaign continues in January.
Science and Technology Action Committee
STAC continued to bring together 25 nonprofit, academic, foundation, and corporate leaders to dramatically strengthen U.S. science and technology. In February 2025, STAC released the Vision for American Science and Technology (VAST) to unite the community in making the case for a clear vision and actionable policy recommendations for a supercharged American scientific enterprise. The launch event, which won the 2025 PR Daily Award for Best Public Affairs Campaign, was preceded by an exclusive in Axios, and an op-ed in Science, along with extensive outreach to Congress and other stakeholders. STAC also worked closely with other stakeholders to push back against drastic proposed cuts in FY26 funding for federal science programs. While FY26 appropriations allocations are not yet finalized, both House and Senate appropriations bills rejected the major funding cuts.
Throughout 2025, STAC (co-chairs and staff) conducted the following outreach in an effort to educate policymakers on the need for strong federal S&T investment:
- 15 meetings with members of Congress, Committees, and Commissions (U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission) (both sides of the aisle).
- Significant, ongoing outreach to congressional staff, particularly appropriators.
- Testimony from STAC cochair Sudip Parikh to appropriators in support of strong FY26 funding for federal science agencies.
- Four letters to appropriators in Congress.
- A letter to President Trump, urging his administration to adopt the recommendations in the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology’s final report (April 2025).
- Support for Dario Gil’s nomination to be Under Secretary for Science at the Department of Energy.
- Response to the OSTP’s November 2025 RFI requesting input on federal S&T policy.
Thank you for your part in realizing these accomplishments whether you joined us as an advocate, sponsor, or participant. In 2026, we look forward to continuing to work together to support scientific innovation and push for health-restoring, lifesaving research. Patients – and we are all patients – are waiting.