Biophysical Society Bulletin | November 2021

Public Affairs

Applications Are Open for the Biophysical Society 2022–2023 Congressional Fellowship Interested in using your science skills to inform science policy? Does spending a year working on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, helping develop policy sound exciting? The Biophysical Society’s Congressional Fellowship program is your opportunity to participate directly in the process of lawmaking that impacts how research is funded and regulated. This year-long opportunity provides fellows a chance to utilize their science knowledge to inform the public policy process. Fellows will gain firsthand knowledge and experience on how Congress works and will participate in the esteemed AAAS Science and Technology Fellows program that provides ongoing training and networking opportunities during the fellowship year and beyond. Visit https:/www.biophysics.org/policy-advocacy/congressional-fellowship to learn about the program and apply. The application deadline is December 10, 2021 . BPS Comes Together to Support NIH at the Rally for Medical Research Apollo-like “mission control” center to coordinate the many branches of government already involved with pandemic preparedness.

The Rally for Medical Research, the seminal advocacy event in support of medical research funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was held virtually this year on September 23. The Rally puts a spotlight on the incredible research that the NIH funds. This year, approximately 435 scientists, physicians, and health research advocates from 46 states and the District of Columbia participated in more than 279 virtual meetings with 92 Senators, 187 Representatives, and their policy staff. Several Biophysical Society (BPS) members were able to participate in the virtual meetings from their labs, offices, and homes. We would like to recognize and thank Michael Rudo- kas and Walid Fahssi for participating in virtual meetings as well as the members who participated in the email advocacy campaign in support of continued, predictable funding for the scientific research efforts supported by the NIH. White House Rolls Out Pandemic Preparedness Plan On September 3, the White House outlined an ambitious $65.3 billion plan to transform the United States’ pandemic response. The Administration hopes to launch the plan with $15 billion set aside in a budget reconciliation bill now before Congress (but not certain to pass). It asks Congress to provide the rest of the funding over the next decade. It calls for an

The 27-page plan only offers a rough outline of funding needs; however, it does suggest several specific actions. For vaccines, it calls for more research on 26 families of viruses known to infect humans. It would also lay the groundwork to develop, test, and approve vaccines against new emerg- ing pathogens within 100 days—three times faster than COVID-19 shots were ready for use—and produce enough vaccine for the United States within 130 days and for the world in 200 days. Vaccine makers would be funded to maintain excess production capacity at their existing plants. A clinical trials network would be at the ready, set up to enroll 100,000 participants within a few weeks, which would lead to answers more quickly than did the 30,000-person studies staged for COVID-19 vaccines. New technologies such as skin patches or nasal sprays would simplify providing vaccines, and more effort would go into developing animal models for all potential viral families. House Science Committee Approves $45 Billion Blueprint for Research Scientific research in the United States continues to see big leaps in funding. In this case it is for the research facilities at the national laboratories. As part of the House Democrats’ $3.5 trillion budget blueprint, the Department of Energy (DOE) would see an appropriation of approximately $45 billion.

November 2021

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