Stem Cell Injunction Stayed by US Court of Appeals

Posted on September 13, 2010October 17, 2012

** Updated 9/13** In response to the previously reported stay of the stem cell research injunction, the NIH has announced that it is resuming normal grant activities until directed otherwise:

NIH STATEMENT REGARDING STAY OF STEM CELL INJUNCTION

We are pleased with the Court’s interim ruling, which will allow promising stem cell research to continue while we present further arguments to the Court in the weeks to come. With the temporary stay in place, NIH has resumed intramural research and will continue its consideration of grants that were frozen by the preliminary injunction on August 23. The suspension of all grants, contracts, and applications that involve the use of human embryonic stem cells has been temporarily lifted. Human embryonic stem cell research holds the potential for generating profound new insights into disease, cell-based therapeutics, and novel methods of screening for new drugs.

Original 9/9 Post

Last night, the Department of Justice (DoJ) filed an emergency motion to stay the preliminary injunction barring federal funding of human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Today, the US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit stayed the preliminary injunction pending briefing on the DOJ emergency motion. The plaintiffs have been given until September 14 to respond to the DOJ motion, and DOJ has until September 20 to respond back.

During the stay period, NIH can resume both its intramural hESC research and its normal extramural application and grant processes.

The text of the court order follows:

09/09/2010 CLERK’S ORDER filed [1264809] ORDERED that the district court’s August 23, 2010 order be stayed pending further order of the court. FURTHER ORDERED that appellees file a response to the emergency motion by September 14, 2010, at 4:00 p.m. The appellants may file a reply by 4:00 p.m. on September 20, 2010. [10-5287]

DoE Releases RFI on Energy Education and Workforce Development

Posted on August 25, 2010October 17, 2012

The Department of Energy’s Technology Offices recently released an “Energy Education and Workforce Development” Request for Information (RFI). Through the RFI, the DoE technology offices seek to gauge the status, prevalence, quality, and gaps in energy relevant education and workforce development activities.

Responses are being sought from energy associations, academic associations, academia, the private sector, non-profits, and others. The collected information is intended to help DOE’s Technology Offices define the scope and priorities of its education and workforce development efforts.

You can find more information on the RFI and larger education and workforce development efforts on the Energy.gov “Strengthening America’s Energy Future through Education and Workforce Development” Blog post.

The RFI will be open until September 3, 2010. All questions should be directed to WorkforceRFI@hq.doe.gov. Members of the UW community responding to the RFI are asked to also share their input with the Office of Federal Relations.

Dept. of Education Seeking Input on New Grants Criteria

Posted on August 25, 2010October 17, 2012

The Department of Education is seeking comments, due September 7th, on department-wide priorities that will be used in the awarding of competitive grants. The Department states that priority areas are proposed to focus federal financial assistance on expanding the number of programs and projects department-wide that support activities in areas of greatest educational need. The priority areas will impact grant decisions made for FY11 awards and beyond. The proposed priority areas are listed below.

Proposed Priority 1—Improving Early Learning Outcomes
Proposed Priority 2—Implementing Internationally Benchmarked, College and Career-Ready Elementary and Secondary Academic Standards
Proposed Priority 3—Improving the Effectiveness and Distribution of Effective Teachers or Principals
Proposed Priority 4—Turning Around Persistently Lowest-Achieving Schools
Proposed Priority 5—Increasing Postsecondary Success
Proposed Priority 6—Improving Achievement and High School Graduation Rates of Rural and High-Need Students
Proposed Priority 7—Promoting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education
Proposed Priority 8—Promoting Diversity
Proposed Priority 9—Support for Military Families
Proposed Priority 10—Enabling More Data-Based Decision-Making
Proposed Priority 11—Building Evidence of Effectiveness
Proposed Priority 12—Supporting Programs, Practices, or Strategies for Which There is Strong or Moderate Evidence of Effectiveness
Proposed Priority 13—Improving Productivity

The Federal Register notice provides details on how to respond to the request for public comment. Members of the UW community responding to the notice are asked to also share their input with the Office of Federal Relations.

FY11 Appropriations Update

Posted on August 5, 2010October 17, 2012

***Updated 8/5/10

House and Senate Appropriations committees and subcommittees made substantial movement in their consideration of FY11 appropriations bills during the monthy of July. However, concerns over the federal deficit combined with the associated election year politics have cast a shadow over the appropriations process. Although appropriations bills will continue to advance through committee, it remains unlikely that most will receive consideration by a full chamber before the November congressional elections. The chart below captures budget items of interest to the UW and the broader higher education/research community. We will update the chart as the process unfolds.

Figures in millions of dollars

Approps. Bill	Agency	Program	FY10 Final	FY11 PBR*	FY11 UW Rec.**	FY11 House Comm.	FY11 Senate Comm.
Agriculture	Agriculture	Agriculture and Food Research Initiative	263	429	429		310.1
		McIntire-Stennis	29	29	35
CJS	NSF	Agency	6,926	7,424	7,424	7,400	7,350
		Education and Human Resources		892	892		892
		Research and Related Activities	5,617	6,019	6,019		6,000
		MREFC	117	165	165		155
	NOAA	Agency	4,737.0	5,550	5,605		5,550
		Sea Grant	63.0	65	77		63.1
		OAR	449.1	465	465		449
		NMFS, Fisheries Research and Management	191	183	193		182.2
		Integrated Ocean Observing System	34	21	53		27
	NASA	Science Mission	4,469	5,006	5,006	4,700	5,000
		Aeronautics Research Mission	501	1,152	1,152		904.6
		Education	182	184	184	205.2
	NIST	Technology Innovation Program	69.9	80	80		70
		Manufacturing Extension Program	124.0	130	130		130
Defense	Defense	6.1 Basic Research	1,882	2,000	2,082
Energy & Water	Energy	Office of Science	4,904	5,121	5,121	4,900	5,012
		ARPA-E	0	300	300	220	200
		Innovation Hubs	66	107	107
		RE-ENERGYSE	0	55	55		0
Interior-Environment	USGS	USGS	1,112	1,133	1,133	1150
	USGS	Geologic Hazards, Resources and Processes	250	253	253
	NEH	NEH	168	161	204	170
	NEA	NEA	167.5	161	204	170
	EPA	Science to Achieve Results (STAR)	61	87	87
	Agriculture	Forest Service Discretionary	5,315	5,377	5,377
		Forest and Rangeland Research	308	322	355
Labor-HHS	Education	Pell Grant Discretionary	17,495	23,162	23,162	23,162
		TRIO Programs	853	853	1,000		868.1
		Federal Work Study	980	980	1,280		980
		GEAR UP	323	323	400		323.2
		Javits Fellowship Program	9.7	10	16		9.6
		GAANN	31.0	31	41		31
		International Education and Foreign Lang. Studies	125.9	126	133
	HHS	Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services	511,034	493,759	511,034
	HRSA	Nursing Workforce Development	150	150	168
	HRSA	Training in Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry	54	54	61
	NIEHS/	Superfund Research Initiative	79	82	89
	Interior	Superfund Research Initiative	79	82	89
	NIH	Agency	31,087	32,007	32,007	32,007	32,007
		National Children’s Study	–	194	194
Mil-Con-VA	VA	Medical and Prosthesis Research Programs	581	590	700
State-Foreign Ops.	USAID	Educational & Cultural Exchanges Programs	635	633	861	635	654.2

*President’s Budget Request (PBR)

**FY11 UW Recommended Appropriation Level

Dept. of Energy Launches Blog

Posted on July 26, 2010October 17, 2012

Last week, the Department of Energy launched a blog, along with new accounts on Facebook and Twitter. Secretary Chu provided the vision for these new tools in his inaugural blog post: “Our goal is to use the Energy Blog and our other social media outlets to show you who we are, what we do, and why it matters to you, while allowing you to connect with us in new and creative ways. That’s not a promise for the future; that’s a commitment we’re putting into action today…”

Department of Energy Blog