AAU joined APLU, AAMC, and ACE on a letter to Senate leaders and the leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee to urge them to provide at least $26 billion in supplemental appropriations for federal research agencies in the next COVID-19 relief measure. According to the associations, this relief will help mitigate the harmful impacts to the nation’s research enterprise, including disruptions, delays, indefinite shutdown of some federally funded research, and extraordinary strains on the research workforce that potentially put the nation at risk. “At a time in which we are in a global race for talent, this agency funding will directly support graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and early career faculty in completing their studies and ensure career stability for America’s future researchers,” the letter says.
The letter also includes a breakdown of recommended funding levels for the major federal research agencies, and notes that without relief funding “the consequences for our nation’s university research and scientific enterprise are dire.”