Washington Update

APLU Comments on NIH Biosafety Policy
APLU joined COGR and the Association of American Universities (AAU) in submitting comments on the NIH Biosafety Policy request for information.

The proposed policy would significantly expand the kinds of research that NIH regulates to include all federally funded and non-federally funded research that include certain biological agents. The expansion applies if the institution receives any NIH funding. The proposed policy has many confusing definitions and would mandate new reviews by Institutional Biosafety Committees (IBC) and Biosafety Committees/Officers (BSO), significantly increasing regulatory burden and cost.

The associations asked NIH to reconsider the policy and make several recommendations to provide more clarity on definitions and procedures.

Final Accreditation Rule at OIRA
The U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) accreditation rule reached the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for review on October 19. If the process proceeds on track, this gives ED the ability to meet its master calendar requirements, i.e. publish the final rule before November 1 to take effect by July 1, 2027. After the regulation is finalized, many components would then be on accreditors to then apply with implications to the institutions they accredit.

 APLU submitted comments on the proposed rule on September 17.  

APLU Comment Guide on the OPT Fee Rule and Requests for Feedback
As institutions consider and prepare comments on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s proposed rule to impose Optional Practical Training (OPT) program fees, APLU encourages member institutions to consider points raised in APLU’s comment guide. The guide includes suggested items for consideration, advice for framing impacts within the context of public institutions, and a compilation of national data institutions can cite alongside their own figures.

As noted in the guide, APLU also underscores the importance of following institutional policies for engaging on federal policy issues, including feedback to proposed federal rulemaking.

NSF Director and Acting Chief of Staff to Step Down
The National Science Foundation’s Acting Director, Brian Stone, announced he would retire from federal service at the end of the year in a memo to staff. The memo also acknowledges the planned departure of Rebecca Keiser, NSF’s chief of staff, who has been with the agency for 26 years. A pending nomination for Jim O’Neill to lead the agency has been stalled in the Senate since March. While his nomination has been pending, Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Ranking Member, of the House Science Committee expressed concerns about his qualifications. Additionally, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) urged a confirmation hearing to openly discuss his qualifications. APLU signed a similar letter requesting a hearing led by the Coalition for National Science Funding earlier this summer.

House China Committee Publishes Report on Chinese Theft of American Research

U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on China  Chair John Moolenaar (R-MI), released a report, How to Stop China’s Theft of America’s Taxpayer-Funded Research, advocating for additional federal research security requirements, including passage of the Securing Innovation and Research from Adversaries (SIRA) Act. The report also seeks to counter common arguments from the academic community against overly restrictive research security measures; claiming co-authorship equates to collaboration, that there is a lack of evidence regarding the benefits of research collaboration with China, and refuting impacts that restrictions have on academic freedom and administrative burden. To accompany the report, the committee released approximately 700 pages of investigative records from National Science Foundation Office of Inspector General investigations involving specific researchers and institutions.

GAO Report on FBI-University Partnerships
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report reviewing the FBI’s efforts to address threats posed by people who collect sensitive information for other countries, including university students and researchers. FBI officials and representatives from academic associations identified several challenges in addressing threats. GAO recommends the FBI develop and implement a plan to strengthen partnerships with academic institutions to help combat threats and protect sensitive U.S. information.

APLU Sends Letter to NASA Admin Regarding Changes and Delays to Grant Solicitations
Yesterday, APLU joined other scientific organizations in sending a letter to NASA leadership regarding changes and delays in the ROSES (Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Science) solicitation for research funding.

This summer, NASA updated language in the solicitation to align with elements of OMB’s Uniform Guidance, which APLU has previously opposed. There have also been several reported delays in the awarding and funding of research proposals. The letter emphasizes these funding uncertainties threaten STEM talent pipeline, scientific innovation, and United States leadership in Earth and space science. The letter asks NASA to rescind the updates aligned with OMB’s Uniform Guidance and release future awards and solicitations in a timely and predictable manner.

APLU continues to update its chart that tracks actions of federal agencies to implement components of Uniform Guidance, though the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has not finalized the proposal and Congress enacted a delay on implementation through December 11.