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Bioscience Briefing

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Resource Book Now Available

Click here for more info on The APS Resource Book for the Design of Animal Exercise Protocols.

APS Science Policy Update

November 23, 2005

In this issue:

• Appropriations Update
• HHMI provides funds for interdisciplinary programs
• FASEB Washington Update

Appropriations Update As lawmakers prepared to adjourn for the holiday recess, several appropriations bills containing funding for the major science agencies saw action last week. In a surprising move, the House of Representatives rejected the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill after a compromise was reached in conference between the House and Senate. Representatives voting against the measure cited cuts to social programs and the lack of special projects (earmarks) in the bill. When Congress returns on December 5, conferees may again try to come up with a compromise, or choose to pass a yearlong continuing resolution that would fund all Labor-HHS-Education programs at FY2005 levels. Until then, a second temporary continuing resolution will continue to fund federal agencies, including the NIH, at last year's levels through December 17.

On November 18, both the House and Senate approved the appropriations bill that funds Veterans Affairs, allocating $412 million for medical and prosthetic research. This is a 2.4% increase over the FY2005 allocation (still below the FASEB recommended level of $460 million). Earlier in the week, Congress passed the Science, State, Justice and Commerce appropriations bill that funds the NSF and NASA. Both of those agencies saw small increases in their overall budgets (NSF: 3%, NASA: 1.3%). However, within the NASA budget the allocation for Human Systems Research and Technology fell to $799 million from $925 million in FY2005.

HHMI provides funds for interdisciplinary programs HHMI announced Tuesday that it has awarded $1 million grants to ten universities that will develop interdisciplinary graduate programs. The stated goal is to "use the three-year grants to develop innovative graduate education programs designed to produce a cadre of scientists with the knowledge and skills to conduct research at the interface between the biomedical, physical, and computational sciences."

For more information, go to: http://www.hhmi.org/news/112205.html

For the latest FASEB Washington Update, go to: http://www.faseb.org/opa/PDF/Washington update - november 18 2005.pdf