America Speaks
Earlier this week we released our latest national survey, commissioned to gauge Americans’ views on medical and health research, and the findings are quite revealing. The survey found that nearly 7 in 10 Americans across the political spectrum want Congress to invest more taxpayer dollars to advance science and technology. And as we prepare to observe the nation’s 250th anniversary this year, Americans surveyed say medical progress should be among the top three of our nation’s priorities over the next 50 years. The survey also found a high level of concern among Americans who are aware of the cuts and cancellations made to federally funded research last year. The survey shows that Americans want a fast-forward approach to medical progress. Look over the entire survey and use the findings to advocate for medical research.
Participating in the Appropriations Process: Even though FY26 appropriations aren’t fully wrapped up yet, with Department of Homeland Security funding still outstanding, it’s already time to start looking ahead to FY27. Congressional offices are beginning to collect FY27 appropriations requests, and Research!America has pulled together a tracker to help you keep tabs on key deadlines.
If it’s been a while since you last submitted a request, a quick refresher never hurts. The Congressional Research Service has a helpful primer on how the appropriations process works. And because members of Congress rely heavily on input from constituents when setting funding priorities, now is a great moment to weigh in on the importance of strong investments in NIH, CDC, FDA, AHRQ, NSF, BARDA, ARPA-H, and other research and public health agencies.
To make engagement easier, we’ve assembled a short “how-to” guide, including a template for contacting your representatives, a brief explainer from the Coalition for Health Funding for those newer to the process, the hot-off-the press 2026 survey data mentioned above, and state-specific data from United for Medical Research.
We are considering setting up a couple of “it’s less grueling together” Zoom sessions for those who would like hands-on assistance submitting appropriations requests. Email Jacqueline Lagoy if this is of interest and if there are takers we’ll set these sessions up.
Speaking of FY27: The Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research is accepting sign-ons for its FY27 NIH funding recommendation letter. The deadline is Feb 20.
- Read the letter
- Review the Q&A
- Add your organization’s name via the sign-on form
Research!America is in full support of the Ad Hoc Request (an 8.7% increase in FY27, as detailed in the letter).
ARPA-H Meeting: If you are with a Research!America Alliance member organization, join us on Feb. 19, from noon to 1 p.m. ET for an alliance member-only meeting looking at recent developments at ARPA-H. If you didn’t receive an invitation via email, contact Jacqueline Lagoy.
Advocacy Awards: We are just a few weeks away from our 30th annual Advocacy Awards, a special event on March 10, 4 to 7 p.m. ET at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. The event will feature two panels of honorees that you don’t want to miss. The first panel, focused on building trust in science, features Board member Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, Editor-in-Chief, Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and the JAMA Network as moderator, and distinguished award winners: Aaron Carroll, President and CEO, representing honoree AcademyHealth; Grayson Brown, Executive Director, representing honoree the Puerto Rico Vector Control Unit; Nicole Lurie, U.S. Director, representing honoree the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations; Journalist Amy Maxmen, and Isako (Izzi) Di Tomassi, Ph.D. candidate, Cornell University, representing honoree The McClintock Letters. Read more about all the honorees here and register here.
RFI on Public Health Preparedness: Reps. Neal Dunn, M.D. (R-FL) and Lori Trahan (D-MA) are requesting information on legislation to reauthorize the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA), which guides federal preparedness for and response to pandemics and other health emergencies. Our latest commissioned survey, mentioned earlier, found that a large majority of Americans (71.7%) are somewhat or very concerned that there will be another pandemic in their lifetime, and less than a quarter (24.3%) believe the administration and Congress are doing enough to prepare. You can respond to this Request for Information here. The deadline for submissions is Feb. 17.
Important Foreign Research Partnerships Update: NIH has released a new Notice of Funding Opportunity formally initiating a pathway for NIH-funded international research collaborations that had previously been administered through foreign subawards. Applications will be accepted to many NIH Institutes and Centers beginning April 25.
Support Our Work: We receive frequent feedback and insights about this weekly letter. Your feedback matters to us and your financial support does too! Your support enables us to provide this resource, host alliance member-only meetings, and engage in intensive advocacy with you. Consider a donation to help Research!America continue and expand the resources we provide and advocacy we do. And know that we appreciate your interest, engagement, and partnership. Donate now.