This research seeks to describe the continuing predicament of R&D funding in the U.S. and to provide support for a return to higher R&D spending as a proportion of GDP to maintain American leadership in innovation. Historically, government investment has funded most foundational scientific research leading to technological advances in…

Although investigators in health sciences are increasingly interested in using mixed methods, greater adoption requires funding opportunities. Funding allocations can signal recognition of a particular methodology and proficiency of investigators in using such methods. We examined trends in prevalence of mixed methods research funded by federal…

Universities are under pressure to increase external research funding, and some federal agencies offer programs to expand research capacity in certain kinds of institutions. However, conflicts within faculty roles and other aspects of university operations influence the effectiveness of particular strategies for increasing research activity. We…

On the surface, a gathering held for young research faculty last week at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory was a clear expression of determination by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to help them compete for grants. The agency fears that continued Congressional budget cuts, combined with the growing number of scientists who work later into…

Public funding for biomedical research is often justified as a means to encourage development of more (and better) treatments for disease. However, few studies have investigated the relationship between these expenditures and downstream pharmaceutical innovation. In particular, although recent analyses have shown a clear contribution of federally…

These are interesting days in the scientific, social, and political debates about human embryonic stem cell research. Pluripotent stem cells--cells that can, in principle, give rise to the body's full range of cell types--were previously derivable only from human embryos that were destroyed in the process. Now, a variety of somatic cell types can…

New rules are coming for sanitizing conflicts of interest in research financed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), dispenser of the government's biggest budget for civilian science, some $31 billion this year. The conflicted need not fear. The draft rules, soon to be made final, continue the NIH's longtime practice of trust but don't…

The analysis of costs of National Institutes of Health (NIH) bio-medical research demonstrates that the increased expenditures for research project grants are due to such factors as real growth in the program, artifacts of the calculation method, and the extent to which project periods of awards have lengthened. (Author/DB)

Institutions of higher education that use animals in laboratory research have become targets of intense scrutiny regarding the treatment of those animals, the value of research, and the amount of federal funds they receive. The largest and most active animal-rights organization is People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. (MLW)

The scientific community's expectations for biomedical research exceed funding capacity. Despite national social and economic problems, funding for biomedical research is already high. Additional funds will not solve the problem entirely. The biomedical community must set priorities and allocate money accordingly. New policies for allocating funds…

Using a system dynamics simulation model, the long-term economic impacts of federally funded research cutbacks on an academic medical center are analyzed. The significant negative multiplier effects, due to the required diversion of institutional funds, are indicative of those that any research-oriented university would experience. (Author/MLW)

The contributions of the families of John Kennedy and Robert Cooke to national policies on mental retardation research and services are explored. The course of federal funding from 1950-1985 for mental retardation and developmental disabilities is traced for six program categories: services, training, information/coordination, income maintenance,…

In the wake of a new Institute of Medicine report that shows a disproportionately low federal investment in cancer research among minorities, some researchers are demanding a change. The National Cancer Institute, the nation's largest funder of cancer research, is taking note of the report's recommendations, and has agreed to adjust some…

Though there are substantial funding resources for supporting mental health research, Black scholars have not received their fair share of the funds in this area. Both affirmative action programs and community pressure are needed to solve this problem and to place increasing numbers of Blacks in policymaking positions. (Author/GC)

The goals of research, it is suggested, must reflect the needs of the times. Recent research showing that much disease and illness may be preventable is the impetus for government sponsorship of health promotion/disease prevention activities in the medical community. (MLW)