WASHINGTON – The Science Coalition (TSC) released the following statement in response to President Biden’s full fiscal year (FY) 2022 budget request:
“In their FY 2019 Merit Review report, the National Science Foundation found 4,262 proposals rated ‘Very Good’ ratings or higher that had to be declined because the agency lacked the necessary $2.8 billion to fund the projects. Last year, the funding rate for R01 grants at the National Institutes of Health had reached a 25-year low,” said TSC President John Latini. “That is why we are especially pleased to see the Biden administration affirm its commitment to the American scientific enterprise by requesting robust funding for our federal research agencies. While COVID-19 has reached a turning point, thanks in large part to the fundamental research conducted at our nation’s research institutions in partnership with our federal research agencies, it is not the last crisis our country will face. We also know the return on this critical investment is immense, with research creating jobs and companies and sparking economic growth across industries and supply chains.
“At the same time, it is imperative that we remember discoveries made from fundamental research can come from unlikely sources. Although we are encouraged by many of the budget’s proposed funding increases, we would have liked to seen them applied consistently across all federal research agencies. We look forward to working with congressional appropriators to ensure funding increases for fundamental research at each of our research agency partners are enacted into law.”
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About the Science Coalition
Established in 1994, the Science Coalition is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of more than 50 of the nation’s leading public and private research universities. It is dedicated to sustaining the federal government’s investment in basic scientific research as a means to stimulate the economy, spur innovation, and drive America’s global competitiveness.