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Science Policy |
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Research Budget FY 2009-2010
Acting NIH Director Condemns Violence, Defends Animal Research Animal Rights Bomber Added to FBI Most Wanted UCLA Community Stands Up to Extremists |
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FY 2009 The fiscal year 2009 appropriations cycle was finally brought to a close with passage of an omnibus spending bill in March. The omnibus includes funding for the NIH ($30.3 billion), NSF ($6.5 billion) and NASA ($17.4 billion). Funding for Medical and Prosthetic Research at the VA was passed earlier at a level of $510 million. FY 2010 Budget Request In late February President Obama issued a preliminary budget plan for FY 2010 that broadly outlines the Administration’s priorities. The budget plan specifies the funding level for the NSF and NASA, but not for the NIH or for VA medical and prosthetic research (see Table 1). Congress will begin its consideration of individual appropriations bills this summer. Advocacy for FY 2010 With the stimulus money slated to be spent during fiscal years 2009 and 2010, there is considerable concern about what will happen in FY 2011 when the stimulus funds are spent and there is a return to normal budgeting. FASEB and other biomedical research advocates are calling for a 7% increase for the NIH budget in FY 2010. This is consistent with President Obama’s campaign promise to double the budget for basic research over the next ten years. APS will join the Coalition for National Science Funding and FASEB in endorsing the Administration’s request of $7.0 billion for the NSF in FY 2010. The APS will join both the Friends of VA and FASEB to request $575 million for VA medical and prosthetic research in FY 2010. NASA funding recommendations are currently under development. Advocacy will focus on the importance of predictable and sustainable budget increases for research agencies, and the need to achieve levels of funding that will allow scientists to build upon the capacity that is being generated with the infusion of stimulus funds. 1. http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb 2. http://opa.faseb.org/pdf/2009/Funding_Recommendation.3.18.09.pdf 3. http://www.cnsfweb.org/CNSFFY2010LeaveBehind.pdf 4. http://www.friendsofva.org/funding.htm. |
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Acting NIH Director Condemns Violence, Defends Animal Research |
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In a statement issued on April 17, Acting NIH Director Raynard
Kington condemned violence against researchers who conduct humane animal
research. Kington stressed that “the NIH stands firmly in support of the
biomedical research it funds to advance the health of the Nation and the world.”
His statement, which was issued just days before the first pro-medical research
rally in the US, reiterated that animal research is well regulated. He pointed
out that threats against researchers endanger not only the researchers and their
families, but also “the health of the entire nation.” Kington listed the subjects of study most often targeted by extremists as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and addiction. He pointed out the impact these illnesses have on individuals, families, and the country at large—a cost of “more than half a trillion dollars a year in combined medical, economic, criminal, and social impact.” Kington labeled the threats to life and destruction of property as terrorism and noted a “more subtle but devastating toll” beyond these immediate threats. He warned that “if more scientists, fearing for themselves and their families, leave their research…[i]rretrievable time will be lost in finding as yet undiscovered treatments and cures.” |
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On April 21, the FBI announced that it had added animal rights
extremist Daniel Andreas San Diego to its Most Wanted List. San Diego is the
first person accused of domestic terrorism to be placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted
List. San Diego, a member of Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC), is wanted for his alleged involvement in two bombings of biotech companies affiliated with Huntingdon Life Sciences. In 2003, he is alleged to have set off two bombs at Chiron Life Science Center in Emeryville, CA. FBI Special Agent Joe Schadler noted that “the second bomb actually was wrapped in nails, and we believe it was intended to harm or kill the first responders.” The second incident involved a company in Pleasanton, CA. One month after the Chiron bombs, San Diego allegedly set off a bomb designed to be even more destructive than the first two. The device was placed near the glass front doors of the building’s lobby. Luckily, no one was harmed in the explosions. The Assistant Director of the FBI Counterterrorism Division said that San Diego was added to the list “to increase public awareness about [San Diego]” and “to aid in his arrest.” San Diego has several tattoos on his person depicting burning buildings, though he may have covered these with new tattoos. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $250,000 for information leading directly to his arrest. |
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On April 22, over 700 supporters of the humane use of animals in
research came to UCLA to be part of the first pro-biomedical research
demonstration in the United States. The rally was organized by the new group
UCLA Pro-Test. Named after the ground breaking UK movement, UCLA Pro-Test seeks
to offer a voice to researchers who have been targeted by animal rights
extremists. It provides information to counter-balance inflammatory claims and
draws attention to the invaluable role animal research plays in developing new
medical treatments. As Americans for Medical Progress Chairman, John Young told
a reporter, “most people don’t have first hand knowledge of how and why animals
are used in research, so it’s sort of a mystery to them and it’s very easily
exploited by the extremists.” Timed to coincide with the annual animal rights protests called World Week for Animals in Laboratories (WWAIL), UCLA Pro-Test’s first rally brought media attention to the value of research and the dangerous tactics of extremists. Media outlets that covered the rally included the Los Angeles Times, CNN, The New York Times, United Press International, The Boston Globe, Nature, Science, local radio and television stations, and science blogs. The historical event was even covered live via Twitter by Science correspondent Greg Miller. In the end, Pro-Test participants outnumbered a rival anti-research rally by well over ten to one. For years UCLA has been a primary target of animal rights extremists seeking to stifle animal research through tactics ranging from death threats to fire bombs. After his car was destroyed by a fire bomb in March of this year, neuroscientist David Jentsch decided to stand up to the extremists. He reached out to like-minded members of the UCLA community—students, faculty and staff—and founded UCLA Pro-Test. Says Jentsch: “Now is the time to stand up and say ‘enough is enough.’” The original Pro-Test was founded in Oxford in January 2006 by 16-year-old Laurie Pycroft and students from Oxford University in reaction to the “climate of fear and intimidation” animal rights extremists had created there. The Oxford Pro-Test group brought national and international attention to its cause and helped to turn the tide of popular opinion in the UK. Tom Holder, one of the founders of the original Pro-Test as well as the founder of the US-based group Speaking of Research, introduced the speakers at the UCLA event. Executive Vice Chancellor, Provost Scott Waugh cited specific medical breakthroughs made possible by UCLA animal researchers and stressed UCLA’s commitment to research and the safety of its researchers. Medical research is “one of the most important ways that we can fulfill our mission as a public research university,” Waugh said. Lynn Fairbanks, one of the first UCLA researchers to be targeted, also spoke at the rally. Fairbanks said she was speaking not as a researcher who had been harassed, but as the mother of a child with Type I Diabetes: “Animal research saved my son’s life.” She explained that “a relatively small number of animals contributed to saving the lives of more than a million children….and there’s still so much more to do.” AMP’s Young told the crowd “be proud of what you do, share what you do with others, engage in public outreach and become part of the solution to public ignorance.” |
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[Index]
[Association of Chairs of
Departments of Physiology
2008 Survey Results] |
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