- AAU, COGR Submit Comments on NLM ClinicalTrials.gov Modernization RFI
- AAU, Associations Request “Highest Possible” FY21 Allocation for CJS
- CNSF Requests at Least $9 Billion for NSF in FY21
- AAU, Associations Submit Comments on HEA Section 117 Foreign Gift and Contract Reporting Requirements ICR
- NASA Releases New Term and Condition for Reports of Sexual Harassment
- POSTPONED: AAU/APLU 2020 University Innovation and Entrepreneurship Showcase
- Upcoming Events
AAU, COGR SUBMIT COMMENTS ON NLM CLINICALTRIALS.GOV MODERNIZATION RFI
AAU today joined the Council on Governmental Relations to submit a letter to the National Library of Medicine regarding its request for information on the modernization of “ClinicalTrials.gov.” The letter recommends that to ensure the best service for both the public and scientific community, ClinicalTrials.gov should: “provide transparency and a mechanism for institutions to report clinical trial data;” update the system to separate different kinds of information, such as clinical trials, observational studies, and repositories; reduce administrative burdens; update templates to better register different activities; and add a mechanism to report grant status and trial status. The letter also suggests that the NLM establish a stakeholder user group to help develop and test the new and improved system.
AAU, ASSOCIATIONS REQUEST “HIGHEST POSSIBLE” FY21 CJS ALLOCATION
Yesterday, AAU joined CNSF and 165 other organizations to send a letter to congressional science appropriators to request they set Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations funding equal to, or greater than, FY20 levels. “Strong funding for the CJS bill is necessary for the United States to maintain its global lead in science and technology,” the letter says. The letter also highlights that increased funding will help address our nation’s immense environmental challenges, provide vital funding to offices that support the economy, and support law enforcement and criminal justice.
CNSF REQUESTS AT LEAST $9 BILLION FOR NSF IN FY21
The Coalition for National Science Funding, which includes AAU, yesterday sent a letter to congressional science appropriators to request at least $9 billion for the National Science Foundation in FY21. This funding level, the coalition says, will help the United States maintain global leadership in science and engineering, expand the NSF’s ability to address the unmet needs of high-quality research proposals and infrastructure projects, increase STEM education research, and support an additional 50,000 researchers, students, and teachers in FY21.
AAU, ASSOCIATIONS SUBMIT COMMENTS ON HEA SECTION 117 FOREIGN GIFT AND CONTRACT REPORTING REQUIREMENTS ICR
In December 2019, the Education Department submitted – and then withdrew in early February – a request for emergency review and immediate implementation of new reporting requirements for foreign gifts and contracts. On February 10, the department submitted a new, non-emergency information collection request, which removes the department’s request for “true copies” of contracts, an issue that will be considered later via a separate notice-and-comment rulemaking.
AAU submitted comments Wednesday that highlight the multiple good-faith efforts of the higher education community to engage with the department to seek guidance on and clarification of the Section 117 reporting requirements. The letter notes that, “unlike other federal agencies and Congress,” the Education Department “has adopted a seemingly antagonistic rather than collaborative approach to addressing these concerns,” to the detriment of the government-university partnership that has made our nation prosper and positioned the United States as a global leader in science. The comments then call on the department to work with our members and lawmakers to “ensure that Section 117 and other mechanisms for disclosing foreign transactions are strengthened in a way that serves our shared national security goals without compromising the ability of universities to carry out service to our nation.”
AAU also joined ACE and 35 other higher education organizations to submit more substantive comments outlining how the department’s ICR “continues to exceed the disclosure reporting required under the statutory authority set out in Sec. 117.” The comments recommend that the Education Department “make changes to the proposed revised ICR to limit disclosure reporting to the requirements” under the statutory authority set out in HEA Section 117.
NASA PUBLISHES NEW TERM AND CONDITION FOR REPORTS OF HARASSMENT
NASA on Wednesday released its new term and condition regarding harassment, which closely mirrors a similar policy released by the NSF in 2018. The term and condition would require awardee organizations: to 1) report any findings that a NASA-funded principal investigator or co-PI committed harassment, including sexual harassment or sexual assault; and 2) notify NASA of the placement of a PI or co-PI on administrative leave, or the imposition of administrative action relating to a harassment or sexual assault finding or investigation.
POSTPONED: AAU/APLU 2020 UNIVERSITY INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP SHOWCASE
Out of an abundance of caution during the COVID-19 pandemic, the April 28 University Innovation and Entrepreneurship Showcase has been postponed. The event will now take place in the Rayburn Cafeteria on September 10, 2020 from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. ET. More information available here.
UPCOMING EVENTS
MARCH 30 – 31 COSSA SOCIAL SCIENCE ADVOCACY DAY; Will be held via conference call. More information and registration available here.
SEPTEMBER 10 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.