Biophysical Society Bulletin | July/August 2019

Public Affairs and Outreach

Rally for Medical Research Biophysical Society members in the United States are invited to join BPS in Washington, DC, on September 18–19 for the Rally for Medical Research Funding! Registration is now open for the annual Rally for Medical Research fly-in where you will meet with your elected officials and advo- cate on behalf of making National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding a national priority. This event, established in 2013, includes more than 300 national organizations coming together with a focused message on increasing NIH funding and raising awareness about the research it supports. Please email Leann Fox at lfox@biophysics.org to learn more and sign-up to attend.

BPSWelcomes Leann Fox as Director of Advocacy and Public Affairs BPS welcomes Leann Fox as the new director of advocacy and public affairs. Fox brings more than 22 years of experience building advocacy and public affairs programs for non-profit membership associations with a focus in healthcare. She has built grassroots advocacy programs from the ground up; developing grassroots initiatives on both the state and federal levels and leading some of the largest grassroots lobbying events in Washington, DC. Fox holds a master’s degree in po- litical management from The George Washington University. She can be reached at (240) 290-5606 or lfox@biophysics.org. Federal Spotlight Continues to Shine on Potential Foreign Threats to US Research The United States Congress continues to look into poten- tial foreign threats to US research and how best to protect research efforts funded through federal grants. On June 5, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing to explore the po- tential threat posed to funded research efforts by the NIH and the National Science Foundation. Witnesses from NIH, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspec- tor General, and the Department of Homeland Security were invited to testify in a two-part public and classified hearing.

Witnesses testified that over the past three years they have become aware of threats to the grants process and intellec- tual property. Lawrence Tabak , Principal Deputy Director, NIH, testified that a small proportion of scientists had received foreign research support that they did not properly disclose on their grant applications. Tabak indicated that in fiscal year 2018, NIH considered more than 80,000 applications for funding and that as of May 2019 only 61 awardee institu- tions have been contacted about specific concerns related to disclosure. Tabak’s testimony pointed out that since 2000, 39 percent of US Nobel prizes in physics, chemistry, and medicine have been awarded to foreign-born scientists and that the United States cannot afford to reject brilliant minds working honestly and collaboratively to advance scientific knowledge. Les Hollie , Chief of Investigative Operations, Office of Investi- gations, Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, stated that NIH had recently referred 16 allegations of non-compliance to their office for investigation, but declined to give additional detail in the public portion of the hearing. He further stated that while foreign threats to re- search is a high-profile, complex issue, the cases under their purview involve all aspects of grant fraud. Proposed Legislative Initiatives At the end of May, US Representative Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ-11) introduced the Securing American Science and Technology Act (HR 3808). The bipartisan bill would establish an interagency working group to coordinate activities and develop guidance to protect federally funded research and development from foreign interference. In addition, the bill calls for the creation of a new National Academies Roundtable called the National Science, Technology and Security Roundtable. The new round- table would be composed of senior representatives

July/August 2019

6

T H E N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E B I O P H Y S I C A L S O C I E T Y