News

NIH; Defense Research; Limited Submissions

BU IN DC

Julie Wickstrom of Enrollment & Student Administration attended the Higher Education Loan Coalition Board of Directors Meeting and spoke with Congressional offices about student aid policy from May 18th to May 20th.

Thomas Perls of the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine spoke with Washington-area BU alumni about the New England Centenarian Study at an event hosted by BU Advancement on May 20th.  

LAWMAKERS QUESTION NIH DIRECTOR ABOUT BUDGET, OPERATIONS

On Thursday, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya testified before a subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee on the Trump Administration's budget request. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) revealed that the acting head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) "stepped down from his position" and expressed concern about reports that other top officials at NIAID were "reassigned and forced out of their positions." Democrats questioned the Director about the Trump Administration's cancellation of contracts to support mRNA vaccine research and its proposal to close the NIH Fogarty International Center, particularly in light of the current Ebola outbreak. Senators also shared their support for NIH investment in early-career investigators.

Watch the hearing

BUZZ BITS...

• The Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing on science and technology priorities in the fiscal year 2028 Department of Defense budget on Tuesday. Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Emil Michael acknowledged the Trump Administration's recommendation to reduce support for basic research, while highlighting the Pentagon's interest in applied AI, biomanufacturing, quantum information science, and scaled hypersonics.
• A subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee approved a spending bill for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) that would provide each agency with $135 million in fiscal year 2027, rejecting the Trump Administration's recommendation to close the NEA and NEH. The Senate has not yet released its version of the arts and humanities spending bill.
• Last week, House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) released a report examining the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) approach to research security. The report asserts that NASA is not abiding by the Wolf amendment, which "prohibits NASA-funded bilateral research and activities with China" and offers 13 policy recommendations for Congress, the Trump Administration, and universities.

GRANT NEWS YOU CAN USE

The Office of Research Development has recently updated its website and internal process for limited submission opportunities (LSOs), which are funding opportunities that restrict the number of proposals an institution may submit. Most LSOs follow a 12-16 week process from the internal announcement to the funder deadline, in which BU releases an internal competition announcement, reviews internal applications, and notifies candidates selected to prepare an application. An expedited “short fuse” process lasting 4-6 weeks will be used for funding opportunities with shorter timelines. Faculty and staff can review updated guidelines and frequently asked questions on the LSO website. A new weekly LSO Digest is sent out every Tuesday to subscribers within the BU community.

Learn more

A Note To Our Readers: Due to the Congressional District Work Period, Beltway BUzz will temporarily pause publication. In the meantime, be sure to visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn.