Committee Examines Research-To-Spinoff Pipeline

BU IN DC

Anthony Janetos of the Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future was appointed chair of the National Science Foundation’s Advisory Committee on Environmental Research and Education.

COMMITTEE EXAMINES RESEARCH-TO-SPINOFF PIPELINE

On June 16, the House Research and Technology Subcommittee held a hearing to examine Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programs. Officials from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science attested to the value of SBIR and other federal programs that help innovators turn scientific discoveries into new businesses. But they cautioned against increasing the amount set aside from research agency budgets for small business grants, as some legislators have proposed, because it would mean a commensurate decrease in the funding available for research grants. Instead, the witnesses recommended increasing federal research agency budgets as a whole in order to boost the resources available for both scientific inquiry and the creation of new companies.

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BUZZ BITS…

• The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the limited use of race as a factor in admissions decisions in the Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin case on Thursday by a 4-3 vote. 
• The U.S. Department of Education unveiled a new accreditor “scorecard” that compares accreditors based on factors at the universities they accredit. The metrics include items such as graduation rates, student loan repayment, and alumni salaries. 
• The House Education and the Workforce Committee passed six higher education bills on Wednesday that address financial counseling, the creation of a “College Dashboard,” and simplifying the financial aid application. Due to the Congressional schedule, the measures are not expected to advance significantly this year.
• This week, Dr. John Holdren became the longest-serving Presidential Science Adviser since the role was first filled by Vannevar Bush after World War II.

GRANTS NEWS YOU CAN USE

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recently announced three grant program competitions through its Maternal and Child Health division:

• Healthy Tomorrows Partnership for Children (HTPCP): To promote access to healthcare for children and youth through clinical or public health services. The program supports community initiatives, not research. 
• Field-Initiated Innovative Research Studies (FIRST):  To support “innovative translational and applied research on critical issues affecting maternal and child health.” 
• Secondary Data Analysis Research (SDAR):  To support research that employs secondary analysis drawn from existing databases and records with the potential to improve health care for certain target populations. 

Applications for each program are due in August.

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