Weekly Advocacy News Roundup
News
House Panel Would Give NIH a 4 percent Raise to $33 Billion
July 6, 2016 | Science Insider
The House Appropriations Committee released a draft spending bill which would fund NIH at $33.3 billion for FY2017, an increase of $1.25 billion over last year’s funding levels. The bill also includes a $45 million increase for BRAIN Initiative funding and a $350 million increase for Alzheimer’s disease research. The LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee, which oversees funding for NIH, marked up and approved the bill, and it will next be considered by the House Appropriations Committee.
- Learn more about the congressional committees that dictate federal funding at SfN.org.
Science Academies Blast U.S. Government's Planned Research-Ethics Reforms
June 29, 2016 | Nature
The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a report stating that the government’s proposed changes to regulations governing research with human subjects should be withdrawn. The proposed changes to the Common Rule included requiring consent to use stored samples in future research, which the panel says would slow down research unnecessarily.
- Join the advocacy network to stay informed on issues of science policy at SfN.org.
Senate Panel Approves Science and Tech Bill: Funding Issues Unresolved
June 29, 2016 | Morning Consult
The Senate Commerce Committee advanced a bill co-sponsored by Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Gary Peters (D-MI) that will reauthorize NSF funding and authorize NSF’s Innovation Corps to help basic science findings become commercially used. Some of the funding for science agencies has not yet been offset, which is an issue that could keep the bill from advancing any further until it is resolved.
- Learn about the public funding of neuroscience at SfN.org.
Canada’s Health Funder Agrees To Meet With Researchers Outraged by Peer-Review Changes
July 6, 2016 | Science Insider
A group of more than 1,000 Canadian researchers is demanding that the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) reinstate face-to-face meetings of peer review panels, which the agency recently ended in favor of using an online system for grant review. CIHR agreed to a request from Canada’s minister of health to meet with representatives of the group on July 13 to discuss these changes.
- Read about global advocacy programs at SfN.org.
Articles of Interest
Neuroscientists Celebrating Brain Wave for Troubled Minds
July 2, 2016 | The Scotsman
A recent study shows that each area of the brain has its own characteristic mix of brain wave rhythms. The findings might help researchers identify brain abnormalities with the potential for electric or magnetic stimulation to modify abnormal rhythms.
- Learn more about psychiatric disorders at BrainFacts.org.
Opinion
Science That Counts for Patients
June 30, 2016 | Morning Consult
Vice President Joseph Biden is leading the new Cancer Moonshot announced by President Obama in his 2016 State of the Union address. The program has been both praised and criticized, and this opinion article discusses the limitations of the cancer moonshot while also discussing the possibilities for success from the program.
- Find science funding resources at SfN.org.
What’s the Point of the PhD Thesis?
July 6, 2016 | Nature News
While many parts of the graduate school process have been modernized, the PhD thesis has not changed as much. This article examines how PhDs are assessed, the goals of a PhD assessment, and possible ways to modernize the thesis.
- Read articles about professional development on Neuronline.
