NSF
COSSA’s Save SBE Toolkit
As COSSA has been reporting, the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate (SBE) is currently at risk of being eliminated. The Trump Administration’s budget for fiscal year (FY) 2027 would zero out funding for SBE starting next fiscal year without providing notice or explanation to the research community. COSSA is working with friends across the scientific community to fight back. We have created a Save SBE webpage with resources you can use in your own efforts to defend SBE and promote the work of the social and behavioral sciences. The latest resource is the SBE Messaging Guide. This document was prepared for…
New Action Alert: Tell Congress to Save NSF’s Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate!
On April 3, the Trump Administration released its budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2027. In it, the Administration states its intent to dismantle the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) Directorate in FY 2027. This proposal is alarming as the SBE Directorate is responsible for nearly two-thirds of funding for academic research in the social and behavioral sciences in the U.S. However, even more concerning are recent reports that NSF leadership plans to begin dismantling the Directorate this year. Such a move raises several red flags and likely violates current statute, not to mention sidesteps…
NSF to Host Webinar on Funding Opportunities for Research Security Practices
On April 29, the National Science Foundation (NSF) will host a webinar on the different funding opportunities offered across the foundation’s directorates related to research security practices. The following NSF programs will participate: Research on Research Security; Growing Research Access for Nationally Transformative Economic Development; Law & Science; Security and Preparedness; Security, Privacy, and Trust in Cyberspace; Science of Science: Discovery, Communication and Impact; and Cybersecurity Innovation for Cyberinfrastructure. Register here.
A Note from COSSA
Friends – As I’m sure you have heard by now, the Trump Administration released its budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2027 last week, which seeks to boost military spending by more than 44 percent by slashing funding for domestic programs. Among the domestic accounts affected are federal science agencies for which, once again, the Administration has put forward budget proposals that would all but hand American science leadership to our global competitors. See the related article below for preliminary details about the budget request. There will always be budget proposals by unsupportive Administrations seeking to cut funding for things they don’t…
Trump Proposes Steep Cuts to Federal Funding in FY 2027 Budget Request
On April 3, the Trump Administration transmitted its fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget request to Congress. Included in the budget request are significant cuts that would decimate the U.S. scientific enterprise, including a repeated proposal to slash the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) budget by more than half (see NSF’s budget proposal here). The Administration has also proposed eliminating funding for NSF’s Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE). Notably in previous appropriations bills, Congress has directed the agency to fully-fund the SBE directorate. The Administration’s proposal also repeats several provisions and reorganization proposals from the previous year’s request, including a proposal to…
Sen. Welch Requests GAO Report on Impact of Scientific Research
On March 24, Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) sent a letter to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting a full review of the economic, scientific, and national security impacts of the elimination of federal funding for scientific research. In the letter, he raised concerns about the Administration’s proposal of a 15 percent cap on indirect rates, arguing it would “cut $5 billion annually from university-based research nationwide”. Further, Sen. Welch highlighted the positive economic impact of scientific research, claiming that cuts to agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) would result in a loss of economic…
Register Now: April Headlines Webinar
On April 9, join COSSA for the latest Headlines webinar discussing the proposed changes to the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Merit Review process. This webinar will feature the National Science Board’s Wanda Ward and will look at what changes to merit review could mean for social and behavioral science research. Register now and join the conversation. If you missed our March Headlines webinar covering recent policy developments and tips on how to advocate from home, you can find the recording here. Headlines is a webinar series available to COSSA member organizations. Watch for additional webinar announcements, and previous webinar recordings, on the COSSA website.
US Science Funding Delayed Despite Congress Rejecting Cuts
According to reporting by Nature, federal science agencies continue to experience delays in receiving the okay to start spending their fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations from Congress. As previously reported, Congress completed its work on FY 2026 appropriations for most federal science agencies earlier this year. However, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has been slow to approve agency spending plans, which are required to be delivered to OMB within 30 days of enactment of the appropriations bills. Traditionally, agencies had authority to start spending portions of their appropriations immediately and continuing in monthly increments until its spending plan…
Interim NSF Leadership Briefs NSB on Reorganization
The National Science Board (NSB), the governing and oversight body of the National Science Foundation (NSF), met on February 25. The agenda included a briefing on NSF’s new “management structure,” presented by Brian Stone, who is performing the duties of the NSF Director, and Micah Cheatham, NSF’s Chief Management Officer. The speakers discussed recent efforts to reduce the NSF workforce in response to White House guidance and executive orders on “optimizing the federal workforce.” In addition to reductions in force (RIFs) taken over the last year, NSF’s efforts have focused on reducing the ratio of executives to non-executives within the workforce, adding non-executive supervisors,…
Congress Requests Briefings from Scientific Research Agencies on Safeguarding Against Foreign-Linked Compromised Research
On February 5, House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Brian Babin (R-TX) and Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Rich McCormick (R-GA) sent letters to several agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Energy (DOE), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), raising concerns about “falsified research” published from “paper mills” funded by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In their letter to NSF, the Chairmen wrote: “Such false research can negatively impact the scientific community and set back fundamental and critical research for years before it is identified. As a…
Science Agency Leadership Shakeups Continue
The White House recently announced plans to nominate Jim O’Neill as the next Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), placing a longtime health policy official and private-sector investor at the helm of the nation’s premier basic science funding agency. O’Neill most recently served as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (see previous coverage). Earlier in his career, O’Neill worked at the Department of Health and Human Services during the administration of George W. Bush. He later moved into the private sector, investing in emerging technologies, including through the Thiel Foundation’s Breakout Labs program, which supports…
ICYMI: House Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Research Security
On December 18, the House Science, Space, and Technology (SST) Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight held a hearing titled, Research Security: Examining the Implementation of the CHIPS and Science Act and NSPM-33. Witnesses included Dr. Rebecca Keiser, Acting Chief of Staff, National Science Foundation (NSF); Dr. Daniel Evans, Assistant Deputy Associate Administrator for Research, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); Dr. Patricia Valdez, Chief Extramural Research Integrity Officer, National Institutes of Health (NIH); and Mr. Jay Tilden, Director of the Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Subcommittee Chairman Rich McCormick (R-GA), joined by House SST Chairman Brian…
NSF Seeks Input on New Tech Labs Initiative—Due January 20
The National Science Foundation (NSF), through its Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) Directorate, has launched a new initiative aimed at accelerating “practical research with real-world applications.” Tech Labs will support research, development and innovation (RDI) teams “focused on overcoming persistent barriers to the commercialization of emerging technologies.” According to the announcement, these teams “will focus on technical challenges and bottlenecks that traditional university and industry labs cannot easily solve on their own.” NSF is seeking public input through a request for information. Comments are due January 20. In addition, NSF is hosting an informational webinar on January 14 (register here).
National Science Board Releases Anticipated Merit Review Report
As previously reported, the National Science Board (NSB), which is the policy-making body of the National Science Foundation (NSF), created a Commission on Merit Review in 2023 to take a fresh look at NSF’s current merit review criteria and make recommendations for potential improvement or modernization. After several delays, the Commission released its report on December 17. The report, Merit Review for a Changing Landscape, contains an in-depth evaluation of NSF’s longstanding review process and makes several recommendations, including: The release of the NSB report comes on the heels of new Merit Review rules that took effect December 15, 2025. Among the changes announced…
NSF Downsizes its Physical Location
Earlier this month the General Services Administration (GSA) announced the location of the new Alexandria, VA headquarters of the National Science Foundation (NSF). As previously reported, it was announced in July that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) would be taking over the NSF headquarters building later this year. At the time, it was not clear where NSF’s 1600 employees would be relocated. NSF will now be collocated with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), which is less than a half mile away from NSF’s current location. The announcement states the move is part of the Trump Administration’s…
Federal Agencies Reopen with Uncertainty
The 44-day government shutdown created chaos and uncertainty across federal agencies. Now that the government has reopened, federal employees are back to work but face new uncertainties about the future. Acting Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Brian Stone circulated a memo to staff outlining the agency’s plans for resuming its activities. According to the memo, priority will be placed on processing backpay for employees and restoring NSF’s capacity to make awards. However, the memo explains that as a result of the lapse in funding, the agency will not be able to administer all of its programs as planned. The memo…
ICYMI: Changes Made to NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
Last month, the National Science Foundation released the latest solicitation for its Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), which is typically made available in July. The solicitation states that it still intends to announce awards in April, consistent with previous years, despite the delay in releasing the opportunity. The deadline for social, behavioral and economic sciences, STEM education and learning, and psychology is November 12. The GRFP has seen its share of challenges over the years, most recently being the major reduction in awards in 2025 and greater emphasis on computer science among the awardees. Several concerns have been expressed by the research community in response to this…
Latest from the White House (September 16)
Federal Agencies Issue Gold Standard Science Implementation Plans As previously reported, President Trump issued an executive order (EO) in May on Restoring Gold Standard Science, which aims to address what the Administration sees as a “reproducibility crisis” caused by “falsification of data” and “highly misleading research.” As part of the order, federal science agencies were given until August 22 to develop implementation plans for ensuring compliance with guidance provided by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) in June. In response, federal science agencies have publicly posted their implementation plans. While each addressed the Gold Standard EO differently, they all…
NIH Grant Terminations Upheld, For Now
On August 21, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump Administration can once again terminate grants funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A district court overturned the original terminations in June as part of a lawsuit brought by higher education and public health associations and 16 states; however, the Supreme Court found that the district court does not have jurisdiction over the terminations. Instead, the ruling states that plaintiffs must file suit in Federal Claims court in order to receive a final decision. A similar ruling was issued in August related to grants terminated by the National Science Foundation (NSF). While the ruling leaves federal funding…
Federal Employees Continue to Speak Up
Last month, employees from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and NASA were the latest to publicly express concern about the Trump Administration’s actions at their respective agencies. In a July 21 letter to House Science Committee Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), NSF employees under the American Federation of Government Employees Local 3403 outlined eight “categories of harm” being inflicted by the Trump Administration, including staff and grant terminations, massive budget cuts, and the unannounced move from the NSF headquarters in Alexandria, VA. The letter asks the Science Committee to: (1) shield NSF employees from “politically motivated” firings; (2) end the illegal impoundment of appropriated…