CNSR Sends Letter Outlining Recommendations for Defense S&T Programs
On Wednesday, the Coalition for National Security Research[, of which AAU and Vanderbilt University are members,] sent a letter to the leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees outlining recommendations for the Defense Science & Technology programs as the committee begins to craft the FY22 NDAA. Emphasizing that “lower funding levels for Defense S&T could threaten the dominance of the U.S. military,” CNSR urged Congress to reject cuts to the program in the FY22 budget request and to increase authorized funding by 6% instead. CNSR also urged Congress to reject cuts to basic research programs and to increase authorized funding for University Research Initiatives, including the Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative program and the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program. The coalition also highlighted cuts in funding for the Minerva Research Initiative and asked Congress to authorize $17 million instead. ( Association of American Universities - July 9, 2021)
| |
We Need to Know More, Research Security Panel Tells U.S. Officials
Dialogue without data is a waste of time. That’s what members of a new U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine panel looking into the threat posed by other countries trying to steal federally funded research yesterday warned a panel of U.S. government watchdogs. Members of the National Science, Technology, and Security Roundtable—formed last year to promote discussions among federal officials, academic leaders, and national security experts—complained that presentations from a trio of major research agencies lacked the baseline data needed to determine the scope of the problem and what the research community can do to minimize risks. Yesterday’s meeting, the third hosted by the roundtable, featured presentations from officials at the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Energy (DOE), and the parent agency of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) who investigate all manner of waste, fraud, and abuse of federal funds. ( Science Magazine - July 9, 2021)
| |
Reminder: Commerce Department Bureau of Industry and Security Invites Applications for Technical Advisory Committees Members
Earlier this year, the Bureau of Industry and Security at the Department of Commerce announced that it is recruiting candidates to serve on one of its seven Technical Advisory Committees. TAC members advise the department on the technical parameters for export controls applicable to dual-use items and on the administration of those controls. The committees are composed of representatives from industry, academia, and the U.S. government. The deadline for applications is September 30, 2021. ( Association of American Universities - July 9, 2021)
| |
FY 22 APPROPRIATIONS NEWS
| |
AAU, Associations Urge LHHS Subcommittee Leaders to Invest in Educator Preparation Programs
AAU joined ACE and 35 other organizations in urging the House and Senate leaders of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations Subcommittee to make investments in federal government programs intended to address shortages in the educator pipeline and the lack of diversity among educators. The letter urged lawmakers to increase funding in the FY22 appropriations bill for the IDEA Personnel Preparation program; the Teacher Quality Partnership Grants under the Higher Education Act; and the Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence. “These programs together have suffered an ongoing diminishment of funds in the last several years, moving steadily downhill as the shortage of educators steadily has grown, exacerbated by the COVID pandemic,” the letter noted. ( Association of American Universities - July 9, 2021)
| |
AAU, Associations Urge Congressional Leaders to Include in Infrastructure Package Investments in Broadband for Postsecondary Students and Institutions
AAU joined ACE and 20 other higher education associations and organizations in sending a letter to the leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee to “include dedicated investments in broadband infrastructure for postsecondary students and institutions in any infrastructure package under consideration.” The letter highlighted how the pandemic has exacerbated preexisting digital divides and affected certain students’ and institutions’ ability to access the resources they needed to pivot to online instruction. Addressing these gaps, the letter noted, would have “benefits far beyond the students and schools immediately impacted.” The letter also urged Congress to expand the Emergency Broadband Benefit and to make it permanent. In addition, it asked Congress to consider how state prohibitions on public- or government-owned networks or on public networks owning or leasing fiber optic assets impact public education and research networks. ( Association of American Universities - July 9, 2021)
| |
Follow the Office of Federal Relations on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube!
| |
|