With a government shutdown narrowly avoided and a resolution deadline pushed back to mid-November, scientific research funding is in a precarious position as we swing from one political crisis to the next. In the meantime, we need to investigate how closures will affect scientific progress and, of course, the health of the entire population.
From the discovery of cancer drugs to the development of diabetes drugs, some of society’s most impactful innovations have come from government-supported scientific research. Federal funding is truly the lifeblood of groundbreaking American scientific research at our universities.
So when a shutdown for the third time in a decade almost became a reality in September, leaving next year’s funding unsecured, scientists began to worry, and continue to worry. Without sufficient support, the government’s largest scientific agencies (the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation) are being forced to stop reviewing grants to fund research projects. If these organizations have to stop the process, organizations built around funding will balk.
Last year, the National Institutes of Health invested $33.3 billion in extramural funding that went to scientists working at universities. The National Science Foundation is responsible for funding up to 25 percent of the nation’s basic science projects. In this way, the impact of the closure is felt from the Capitol to the halls of campus.
In the face of economic uncertainty, science faculty at academic institutions are anxious. If you lose the opportunity to seek grants, you won’t be able to pay for your science (which rarely comes cheap). You can’t publish without science. Many professors rely on federal funding to purchase and maintain research equipment, store samples, and pay lab members.
Most of the members of my lab are graduate students like me. Often overlooked, approximately 3 million American and international students work as graduate students on the front lines of academia. In the wake of the 2019 government shutdown over funding for President Trump’s border wall, former National Science Foundation Deputy Director Joel Weider recognized: …Graduate student scholarships and training programs have been temporarily suspended. ”
This applies not only to National Science Foundation scientists but also to university researchers. Additionally, delays in public funding can wipe out projects that graduate students have spent years of effort completing.
Some projects and opportunities for graduate students are time sensitive. Many natural phenomena occur on their own schedule, not because of the Belt and Road political drama. When federal agencies are reduced to skeleton personnel, they often cannot afford to continue operating critical databases that may be the source of graduate student data.
This previously occurred with the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s National Vulnerability Database during the 2019 shutdown. This database is a powerful resource for those researching information technology and cybersecurity weaknesses. Our country has an ongoing interest in staying ahead of these vulnerabilities, and depriving researchers of access to databases can have consequences. Although not directly caused by the shutdown, the following year saw the most security vulnerabilities ever disclosed.
Delays in graduate studies due to closures are not taken into account in graduate programs. On the contrary, universities make it clear (in their employment contracts with graduate students) that funding for postgraduate research and teaching may be reduced due to poor financial conditions. Nevertheless, graduate students are always expected to progress toward their degree.
The inability to continue a project due to closure does not mean the end of a graduate career on its own, but significant opportunity costs have already been paid, and finding a replacement project always presents new challenges. Masu.
Graduate students and faculty need to respond to this uncertainty with action, rather than despair. They should continue to advocate for our country to remain at the forefront of scientific progress. Failure to do so could result in the loss of important scientific advances, impeding future progress, and creating a public health crisis.
Javier Meza holds a Ph.D.candidate for University of Floridawho studies the neurobiology of substance use disorders. He is also an attorney with a passion for policy, criminal justice reform, and neurolaw.
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