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Making the Case for Federally-funded Research. Communicating with Congress: Worried about Funding Trends? Learn What You Can Do about It
Sponsored by APS Communications Committee
Education Track

In the years since the doubling of the National Institutes of Health budget was completed, funding for biomedical research has received only minimal increases. This flat funding combined with rapidly increasing numbers of grant applications has caused a significant drop in success rates, which has a number of negative impacts on the scientific community. In order to make federal research funding a national priority again, it is critical that scientists around the country convince their elected representatives that biomedical research is a sound and worthwhile national investment. To do so, researchers need the tools to effectively communicate the importance of science to Members of Congress and other audiences. This also requires a special appreciation of how to discuss federal funding priorities on Capitol Hill. This symposium will explore ways to communicate about science, work with Congressional staff, develop ongoing relationships with lawmakers and effectively convey both the local and national importance of federally funded biomedical research.