Good morning,
I wanted to provide you with an update of recent actions by federal executive agencies compiled by our advocacy partner, the Signal Group, that may be of interest to you. Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.
Thank you,
Jeff Cohen
Recent Actions by Executive Agencies for the Science & Research Community
April 20, 2020
National Science Foundation
- Released an op-ed from an NSF expert entitled "Why are supercomputers so important for COVID-19 research?"
- Released a notice and request for approval regarding their annual "National Training, Education, and Workforce Survey." This measures research concepts that are receiving national interest, with respect to skilled education and work experience programs. Comments must be received by June 15, 2020.
National Institutes of Health
- Issued an updated COVID-19 FAQ sheet on grants – including application submission, foreign research components, costs, training, fellowship, and career development research awards.
- Announced that they are convening a public-private partnership between federal health agencies and private pharmaceutical companies to develop a coordinated research response for COVID-19 treatment and vaccination.
- Announced that they're beginning a study focused on quantifying "undetected cases of coronavirus infection."
- Released results showing that decontamination methods work for the re-use of N95 respirators.
- National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci was in the news to discuss "recent developments in the global COVID-19 pandemic" with JAMA Editor Howard Bauchner.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the White House to issue the Opening Up America Again guidelines, which is a three-pronged approach to reopening the American economy based on advice from CDC public health experts.
- Issued a request for information from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to solicit comments for the upcoming funding announcements for the World Trade Center Health Program's FY 2021 research funding cycle.
Department of Education
- Issued a proposed rule on behalf of the Education Department's Office of Postsecondary Education regarding "Distance Education and Innovation" regarding eligibility for programs under the Higher Education Act of 1965.
- Proposed a notice from the department's Federal Student Aid office regarding Loan Discharge Applications.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering & Medicine
- Issued a joint statement from their leaders writing that "U.S. funding for the World Health Organization should not be interrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic."
- Created a resource called "Based on Science" which aims to provide evidence-based answers to COVID-19-related questions.
- Published a feature story entitled "Mobilizing the Academic Research Community in the Fight Against COVID-19."
White House's Office of Science & Technology Policy
- Launched an effort in partnership the National Institute for Standards and Technology to "support the development of search engines for a COVID-19 dataset that will help in the fight against the virus."
- Separate from COVID-19-related issues, the National Science & Technology Council issued a "Request for Information on Earth System Predictability Research and Development."
Department of Defense
- Released an RFI from the DoD's Joint Acquisition Task Force (JATF) that is seeking ideas on unique ways to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Jeffrey M. Cohen, MBA
Director, Public Affairs & Marketing
INFORMS
jeff.cohen@informs.org------------------------------