1/22/26: Exclusive: key NIH review panels due to lose all members by the end of 2026 (Nature) Thirteen of the agency’s advisory councils, which must review grant applications before funding is awarded, are on track to have no voting members. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00183-x
1/22/26: Alarm as US mulls prioritising citizens in research funding (Science Business) Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), said last week that it is “important for us to continue to emphasise the use of federal R&D dollars towards American scientists and technologists that are staffed by Americans in their labs.” Asked about support for Chinese students during a Congressional hearing, Kratsios went on to say that in future funding announcements, the OSTP would “emphasise” that “we’re funding American students.” https://sciencebusiness.net/news/international-news/alarm-us-mulls-prioritising-citizens-research-funding
1/22/26: NIH ends support for some human fetal-tissue research – dismaying scientists (Nature) The world’s largest public funder of biomedical research will no longer support studies that use human fetal tissue derived from elective abortions. The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) will continue to fund research on fetal tissue from miscarriages and stillbirths, according to an announcement made on 22 January . But researchers say the new restrictions, which were applauded by opponents of abortion , will make it more difficult to study fetal development and stem cell biology, and will slow the hunt for new medical treatments . https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00251-2
See also: NIH Policy on Research Involving Human Fetal Issue (NOT-OD-26-028) https://grants.nih.gov/policy-and-compliance/notice-of-policy-changes
1/22/26: Pressure on the pipeline (Science) It’s still not clear how much of the administration’s transformation of science will endure . And some researchers, especially established ones with large labs and multiple funding streams, may ultimately see little impact on their work. But the turmoil that has gripped the U.S. scientific community over the past year has led others to look abroad for opportunities,… https://www.science.org/content/article/how-trump-s-moves-could-dramatically-reshape-scientific-workforce
1/22/26: States pioneer a new frontier in US science funding (Science) Thirty-five years ago, a survey of university faculty concluded that despite relatively stable public funding, the research environment in the United States had deteriorated to the point that “a major decline in research capability ” was plausible or even likely. Today, US academic researchers are again “beset by flagging morale, diminishing expectations, and constricting horizons.” According to data from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the share of US basic and applied research funded by the federal government dropped from nearly 48% in 2009 to just over 34% in 2023 . As that decline is likely to continue, some state governments are responding by boosting their research spending. Greater reliance on states brings a new set of challenges, but opportunities as well. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aef5010
1/21/26: Talking back: An unprecedented assault has forced the U.S. scientific community to rethink its advocacy tactics (Science, COGR President Matt Owens Quoted) Within days of Trump’s return, “It became clear that the policy and political environment was going to be far from business as usual,” recalls Matt Owens, who has spent 3 decades working in science policy and is president of COGR , which represents research universities on regulatory matters. As Trump shattered long-standing norms and threatened to crush those who stood in his way, many researchers wondered: How should we resist? https://www.science.org/content/article/age-trump-are-u-s-scientists-bringing-white-papers-gunfight
