Biophysical Society Bulletin | June 2020

Public Affairs

Science Societies Join Congress to Condemn Anti-Asian Discrimination Public Affairs Committee of the Biophysical Society

BPS joined with 50 science organizations to call on Congress to condemn the anti-Asian discrimination and violence occurring across the country as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Representative Grace Meng (D-NY) and Senators Kamala D. Harris (D-CA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) have introduced a non-binding resolutions (S.Res. 580/H.Res. 908) to condemn such actions. Scientific research is not limited to any one country, nationality or race; it is an endeavor that thrives on collaboration by researchers working together, across the globe to advance basic and biomedical research initiatives. The solu- tion to the pandemic will not be found in violence and discrimination; it will be found by researchers from different countries working in collaboration. BPS Announces Samantha Anderson as Congressional Fellow

• Additional graduate student and postdoc fellowships, trainee- ships, and research assistantships for up to two years. Graduate students who could not complete their degrees due to pandem- ic-related impacts should be given priority for graduate fellow- ships and other forms of support so they can complete their research and degrees. Around theWorld United Kingdom Lays Out Increased Funding Plan for Research The United Kingdomwill increase public funding for research and development by 15 percent in the next fiscal year, its largest year-on-year increase ever, according to budget plans unveiled in March. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government plans to ramp up research and development (R&D) spending even faster over the next three years, more than doubling the current total to £22 billion by 2024 – 2025. Last year, the Conservative Party said it would double public fund- ing in R&D, bringing it to £18 billion by 2024 – 2025. (The govern- ment’s fiscal year runs fromApril to April). However, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said the government would be more aggressive, raising the figure to £22 billion. Under that scenario, public R&D spending would be 0.8 percent of gross domestic prod- uct in 2024 – 2025, according to economic forecasts in the budget plan—more than the United States, China, Japan, or France. To reach the goal of raising R&D spending overall to 2.4 percent, however, the private sector will need to increase its spending from £26 to £44 billion. The government will try to stimulate this invest- ment by putting £200million in a life sciences venture capital fund and spending £900million on grants to foster business innovation. The government will top up funding for the 2020 – 2021 fiscal year, by spending an extra £400million on research infrastructure and equipment, concentrating on basic research and the physical sciences.

The Society is pleased to announce that it has selected Samantha Anderson as its 2020 – 2021 Congressional Fellow. Anderson will spend a year working in a congressional office on legislative and policy areas requiring scientific input. She will also participate in the American Association for the Advancement of Science Science and Technology Fellowship Program, which includes an orientation on congressional and executive branch operations and a year-long seminar series on issues related to science policy. Since receiving her PhD in biochemistry, Anderson has worked as a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. To learnmore about the Congressional Fellowship visit this webpage: https:/ www.biophysics.org/policy-advocacy/congressional-fellowship. BPS Advocates for Research Enterprise Inclusion in Stimulus Phase BPS has joined forces with science andmedical organizations and academic institutions to recommend additional funding for scientific andmedical research in the fourth phase of the stimulus package. In a move to protect the backbone of the US research enterprise—graduate students, postdocs, principal investigators, and technical support staff—we worked with Representatives Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Fred Upton (R-MI) on a bipartisan letter to House leadership. The letter, supported by 182members of the House of Representatives calls for the inclusion of US$26 billion in funding to cover the following: • Supplements for research grants and contracts (i.e., cost exten- sions) due to COVID-19-related impacts, including the need for additional salary support and/or research related ramp-up costs; • Emergency relief to sustain research support personnel and base operating costs for core research facilities and user-fund- ed research services until such time facilities reopen and research activities return to pre-pandemic activity levels; and

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