Lewis-Burke Associates, LLC Strengthening U.S. Leadership in Plant Science The NSF Plant Biology Act (H.R.7949), introduced by Rep. Josh Riley (D-NY-19) and Rep. Jim Baird (R-IN-4), is bipartisan legislation to strengthen the National Science Foundation’s investments in plant and microbial research. The bill would amend the NSF Authorization Act of 2002 to establish a dedicated funding initiative … Read more
By Elizabeth Stulberg, Lewis-Burke Associates At the beginning of the new fiscal year, Wednesday, October 1, with no new funding bills or continuing resolution passed by Congress, many agencies within the federal government suspended their services. This is known as a government shutdown. It will end when Congress passes funding bills that reopen the currently-shuttered … Read more
Since President Donald Trump took office on January 2025, a series of executive actions have shaken the research community. Several executive orders were released that targeted diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and climate initiatives and that direct agencies to generate lists of existing grants supporting these activities. Furthermore, on January 27, the Office of Management … Read more
On December 2, 2024, the United States District Court of the Northern District of California vacated the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) SECURE Rule, which was finalized in 2020 as an update that enabled the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to provide regulatory guidance for gene-edited crops. The SECURE Rule was adopted after … Read more
The federal government has many opportunities for researchers, including not only funding calls but also opportunities to provide feedback, such as requests for information (RFIs). With so many potential ways to engage, it is easy to miss something important, such as a well-aligned funding opportunity from an unexpected agency or a request for comment that … Read more