On Sept. 28, President Trump signed into law a spending package that includes fiscal year 2019 funding for the Department of Defense and National Institutes of Health as well as stopgap funding for other agencies. Behind him are (from left) House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Kay Granger (R-TX), Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Richard Shelby (R-AL), House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Tom Cole (R-OK), and Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY).
(Image credit – Joyce N. Boghosian / The White House)
Fiscal Year 2019 Begins, Bringing Boosts for DOD, NIH, DOE
Oct. 1 marks the start of fiscal year 2019, and billions of dollars in additional research funding are arriving with it. On Sept. 28, President Trump signed a two-bill spending package that includes a $1.1 billion, or 7 percent combined increase for the Department of Defense’s basic research, applied research, and advanced technology development accounts. The package also includes a $2 billion, or 5 percent increase for the National Institutes of Health. The House passed the legislation on a vote of 361 to 61 on Sept. 26, following its approval by the Senate the week before. DOD and NIH now join the Department of Energy among science-supporting agencies with a newly increased appropriation and a full year to spend it. They will also avoid the difficulties and uncertainties that accompany the stopgap funding measures Congress typically relies on to start the fiscal year.
Stopgap Funding for Other Agencies Secured Through Dec. 7
The two-bill package also extends fiscal year 2018 funding through Dec. 7 for agencies that have not yet received their new appropriation. Negotiations to finalize spending legislation covering the U.S. Geological Survey and Environmental Protection Agency failed to produce an agreement, though one was reportedly near at hand when the House concluded its pre-election business on Sept. 28. NASA, the National Science Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and National Institute of Standards and Technology are also operating with temporary funding, and it is unclear how close lawmakers may be to finalizing the spending bill that covers them. Work on appropriations is expected to resume when Congress reconvenes in November for its “lame duck” session.
EPA Science Policy in Senate Spotlight
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is holding a subcommittee hearing on Wednesday titled “Oversight of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Implementation of Sound and Transparent Science in Regulation.” A likely focus of the hearing will be EPA’s proposed rule limiting its regulatory use of studies for which underlying data and models are not publicly available. Subcommittee Chair Mike Rounds (R-SD) is a primary sponsor of the “Honest and Open New EPA Science Treatment (HONEST) Act,” which would enact a similar requirement. EPA’s plans to dissolve its Office of the Science Adviser, which provides advice directly to the administrator, is also apt to be discussed.
In Case You Missed It
Among the federal participants in a White House summit last week on quantum information science were (from left) OSTP Assistant Director for Quantum Information Science Jacob Taylor, NSF Director France Córdova, DOE Under Secretary for Science Paul Dabbar, NIST Director Walter Copan, and Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Mike Griffin.
(Image credit – OSTP)
White House Summit Heralds Quantum Strategy and Major Grants
On Sept. 24, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy convened a summit with leaders from federal agencies, academia, and industry to discuss how to accelerate progress in quantum information science (QIS) and the development of QIS-based technologies. Coincident with the summit, the Trump administration released a National Strategic Overview for Quantum Information Science that outlines its plan for advancing the field. The Department of Energy and National Science Foundation also announced grant awards totaling $218 million and $31 million, respectively. Later in the week, the National Institute of Standards and Technology announced it is creating a Quantum Economic Development Consortium that will assess the workforce, infrastructure, and technology needs of the emerging quantum industry. A White House summary of the event is available here.
DOE Officials Make Case for New Quantum R&D Centers
A day after the White House summit, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee reviewed the Department of Energy’s role in quantum information science. Committee Chair Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) indicated she is working on DOE provisions for the Senate version of the “National Quantum Initiative Act.” In his testimony, DOE Under Secretary for Science Paul Dabbar endorsed a provision in the House version of the bill that directs the department to establish up to five QIS R&D centers. Dabbar and two scientists from DOE laboratories made the case that the department’s national laboratories possess an ideal mix of capabilities needed to host such centers in collaboration with academia and industry.
DOD Filling Out Its R&D Leadership
The Senate confirmed Lisa Porter to be deputy under secretary of defense for research and engineering (R&E) on Sept. 27 on a vote of 98 to 1, with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) casting the lone dissenting vote. Porter previously directed the research arm of In-Q-Tel, a nonprofit venture capital firm funded by the U.S. intelligence community. The Department of Defense also recently hired Milan Nikolich, an electrical engineer with extensive experience in strategic arms policy, to be its director of defense R&E for research and technology. In that position, he is responsible for department laboratories, research funding, and new offices focusing on critical R&D areas such as quantum science and directed energy. Jim Faist, an electrical engineer who has held high-level positions with several defense contractors, is now the R&E director for advanced capabilities. He oversees offices focusing on emerging technologies in areas such as space and hypersonics and is responsible for test and evaluation activities, which facilitate the transition of technologies into acquisition programs, a department priority.
DOE Research Bills Become Law
On Sept. 28, President Trump signed a pair of bills that provide extensive policy direction to the Department of Energy Office of Science and Office of Nuclear Energy, respectively: the DOE Research and Innovation Act and the Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act. Many of the provisions in the former bill enshrine existing activities into law, while a few direct DOE to pursue new research directions or revive old ones — most notably in inertial fusion energy and low-dose radiation research. The centerpiece of the latter bill is a requirement that DOE plan to complete construction of a reactor-based fast neutron source by the end of 2025, contingent on the department’s formal determination of a mission need for such a facility.
Fast-Neutron Reactor Plans Outlined at Science Committee Hearing
Implementation of the Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act was the focus of a Sept. 27 hearing held by the House Science Committee. John Wagner, associate director for nuclear science and technology at Idaho National Laboratory, outlined plans to address the legislation’s call for a Versatile Test Reactor, a major user facility for fast-neutron irradiation that would facilitate the development of new reactor designs and fuels. Wagner said DOE intends to begin evaluating the mission need for the reactor in January and will award a contract to complete the project’s conceptual design and cost estimate “in the near future.” He said the aim is for the reactor to become operational by October 2026. Among other issues discussed was advanced reactor developers’ desire for a supply of high assay low-enriched uranium, a reactor fuel comprising between 5 and 20 percent uranium-235.
NASA Reviews Lunar Plans on Capitol Hill, in New Report
Senior NASA officials appeared at two committeehearings on Sept. 26, at which discussion revolved mainly around the agency’s plans for continuing activities in low-Earth orbit and establishing a presence at the Moon. The same day, NASA also released a National Space Exploration Campaign Report, as a roadmap for human space exploration required by the broad NASA policy bill enacted last year. The report reiterates that the agency will send science instruments to the Moon using commercial landers procured through a forthcoming Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. Testifying before the Senate Space, Science, and Competitiveness Subcommittee, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine stressed the agency is planning a “sustainable architecture” that will permit the systematic study and exploration of the lunar surface.
NIST Policy and STEM Training Bills Clear House
On Sept. 25, the House passed the “National Institute of Standards and Technology Reauthorization Act” and the “Innovations in Mentoring, Training, and Apprenticeships Act” by voice votes, sending them to the Senate. The NIST bill authorizes a $125 million or 17 percent overall increase for the agency’s research programs for fiscal year 2019, although the ultimate amount will be set through separate appropriations legislation. It also includes direction for NIST’s programs in quantum information science, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, internet of things, and composites research. The latter bill directs the National Science Foundation to issue grants in support of programs that offer associate degrees in high-demand STEM fields and work-based learning opportunities, among other actions.
AAAS Launches Science-for-Policy ‘EPI Center’
The American Association for the Advancement of Science has established a new Center for Scientific Evidence in Public Issues, also known as the EPI Center. The objective of the center, which began operations on Sept. 24, is to channel the scientific expertise of AAAS members into public policymaking. Its director is Michael Fernandez, a biologist who first came to D.C. as a AAAS Congressional S&T Policy Fellow in 1991. In a statement, Fernandez explained the center seeks to impact policy “not by advocating for certain policies but ensuring that when decisions are being made, the evidence is being appropriately considered and evaluated.” Another motivation for the center is to fill the void in science policy advice created by the disbandment of Congress’ Office of Technology Assessment in 1995.
NCAR Contract Extended Through 2023
The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, a nonprofit consortium of over 100 colleges and universities focused on atmospheric and Earth sciences, has managed the National Center for Atmospheric Research since it was established by the National Science Foundation in 1960. The Mesa Laboratory, pictured above, has served as NCAR’s primary facility since 1967.
(Image credit - Alexis Wolfe)
The National Science Foundation has signed a $630 million, five-year agreement with the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research to continue managing the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. The agreement takes effect this month and has the option for a five-year extension contingent on approval from the National Science Board, NSF’s governing body. NCAR is the largest of NSF’s five Federally Funded R&D Centers.
National Academy of Engineering:Annual Meeting Public session: 12:00 - 5:30 pm, National Academy of Sciences (2101 Constitution Ave. NW, DC) Webcast available
NASA Developing Strategic Plan for Scientific Data and Computing
NASA’s Science Mission Directorate is accepting input as it develops a strategic plan that will “guide the evolution of the array of data and computing systems supporting research” across its four divisions. NASA is seeking specific input on groundbreaking research that could be enabled by new computing capabilities, limitations in current data infrastructure, and how partnerships could be leveraged to improve data preservation and analysis, among other topics. Submissions are due Oct. 19.
STPI Seeking Science Policy Fellows and Summer Associates
The Science and Technology Policy Institute, which provides analytical support to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and other federal science agencies, is accepting applications for its 2019 science policy fellowship and summer associate programs. The fellowship is a two-year program for recent bachelor’s or master’s degree recipients in STEM fields, while the summer associate program is a 10-week position for advanced undergraduate or graduate students in STEM fields. Applications are due in early January 2019.
COMPASS Hiring Policy Engagement Director
COMPASS, a non-profit that helps scientists to communicate with the public and decisionmakers, is accepting applications for its policy engagement director. The position is responsible for developing and implementing strategies that connect scientists to policymakers at federal, state, and local levels. Individuals with an advanced degree in the sciences or policy and at least 10 years of policy experience are encouraged to apply. Review of applications begins on Oct. 8.
Know of an upcoming science policy opportunity? Email us at fyi@aip.org.Know of an upcoming science policy event? Email us at fyi@aip.org.
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Republicans allege NIH leaders pressured journals to downplay the lab leak theory while Democrats argue the charge is baseless and itself a form of political interference.
