- House Science Committee Holds Hearing on Global Competitiveness of U.S. Tech
- House Republican Science Leaders Introduce Bill to Create National S&T Strategy and Double Basic Research Funding
- Bipartisan Policy Center Report Outlines HEA Overhaul
- NACUBO-TIAA Releases 2020 Study of Endowments Shows 5.3 Percent Return in FY19
- AAU, Associations Comment on NIST RFI on the iEdison System
- Upcoming Events
HOUSE SCIENCE COMMITTEE HOLDS HEARING ON GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS OF U.S. TECH
The House Science, Space, and Technology committee on Wednesday held a hearing titled “Losing Ground: U.S. Competitiveness in Critical Technologies,” centered on increased global competition for leadership in science and technology. The committee heard from a panel of witnesses, including National Science Board Chair Dr. Diane Souvaine, Schmidt Futures Founder Dr. Eric Schmidt, and Georgia Institute of Technology Executive Vice President for Research Dr. Chaouki Abdallah. During the hearing, lawmakers asked what improvements could be made to America’s research and development, and witnesses focused on expediting innovation.
Federal Computer Week has more.
HOUSE REPUBLICAN SCIENCE LEADERS INTRODUCE BILL TO CREATE NATIONAL S&T STRATEGY AND DOUBLE BASIC RESEARCH FUNDING
House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) Tuesday introduced H.R. 5685, the “Securing American Leadership in Science and Technology Act,” legislation that would create a long-term plan for investment in research and scientific infrastructure to ensure American competitiveness, help protect our economic and national security, and encourage innovation to adapt to the changing climate. The plan would: create a national science and technology strategy; prioritize investment in federal basic research by doubling basic research spending over 10 years for NSF, DOE, NIST, and NOAA; invest in American research facilities; increase funding for key programs to grow the STEM workforce; and reform research and development regulation to foster collaboration between the government, industry, and universities.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) expressed support for the bill, saying: “Doubling our investment in fundamental science is imperative to not only maintain our position, but to keep our competitive edge against countries like China, which is not only intent on surpassing the United States, but has invested the resources to do so.”
AAU Thanks Legislators for Introducing "SALSTA."
BIPARTISAN POLICY CENTER REPORT OUTLINES HEA OVERHAUL
The Bipartisan Policy Center’s Task Force on Higher Education Financing and Student Outcomes , which consists of college presidents and former lawmakers, yesterday released a report detailing its recommendations for Congress to consider as it works to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. According to the report, these recommendations would “put downward pressure on tuition prices, promote efficiency and improve the targeting of federal aid programs, boost quality assurance and institutional accountability, and enhance federal data systems while providing better information for students.”
NACUBO-TIAA 2020 STUDY OF ENDOWMENTS SHOWS 5.3 PERCENT RETURN IN FY19
The National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA yesterday released the annual NACUBO-TIAA Study of Endowments , which shows an average return of 5.3 percent in participating institutions’ endowments in 2019 – down from 8.2 percent in 2018. The study showed the 10-year average annual return was 8.4 percent, an increase from 5.8 percent in 2018. The report notes that “three quarters of institutions increased spending from their endowments to support students and faculty, with an average increase of more than $2 million.”
With data gathered from 774 U.S. colleges and universities, the report found that 49 percent of endowment spending was applied to student financial aid, 17 percent to academic programs, 11 percent to faculty positions, and 7 percent for campus operations.
AAU, ASSOCIATIONS COMMENT ON NIST RFI ON IEDISON SYSTEM
In an effort led by COGR, AAU, APLU, and AAMC recently submitted comments in response to NIST’s request for information about assessments of and potential improvements to the Interagency Edison (“iEdison”) system, a mechanism for reporting federally funded inventions to facilitate compliance with Bayh-Dole requirements. In the letter, the associations highlight areas of the system that need improvement, including: creating uniformity in participation and reporting rules across agencies; enabling the system to identify if grants reported fall under the 1980 Bayh-Dole regulations or its 2018 revision; addressing challenges regarding the government support clause; resolving persistent error messages; and capping required updates to abandoned cases at five or 10 years after the case has been abandoned.
UPCOMING EVENTS
MARCH 8 – 10 NHA ANNUAL MEETING AND HUMANITIES ADVOCACY DAY; Washington Court Hotel, 525 New Jersey Avenue NW. Sunday, March 8, 1:00 p.m. ET – Tuesday, March 10, 5:00 p.m. More information and registration available here.
MARCH 30 – 31 COSSA SOCIAL SCIENCE ADVOCACY DAY; Spire Conference Center, 750 1st Street NE. More information and registration available here.
APRIL 28 AAU/APLU 2020 UNIVERSITY INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP SHOWCASE; Rayburn Cafeteria, Rayburn House Office Building, 45 Independence Avenue, SW. 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. ET. More information available here.