Keith’s note: According to “NIH cancels its first and largest study centered on women“ in Science magazine: “President Donald Trump’s administration appears to be killing much, if not all, of a historic initiative that was the first, and is still the largest, National Institutes of Health (NIH) effort centered on the health needs of women.” To its credit NASA (often with NIH) has looked at physiology factors that differentially affect female vs male astronauts. Will new government rules bring that to a halt? NASA presentation.

Keith’s note: Heads Up NASA: it would not be at all surprising if other agencies such as NASA were directed to take similar unilateral action. Imagine how the external space science community will respond. Will external research organizations even be able to support future NASA research? What programs will simply stop? And how does this keep ‘America Great in Space Science’? Oh yes: JPL works as a contractor to NASA.

• The NIH’s drastic cut to indirect cost rates is a critical threat to U.S. research infrastructure, Stat: “The National Institutes of Health has made a landmark decision that could irreparably damage the backbone of American scientific innovation: a dramatic reduction in the indirect cost rate for research grants. This sweeping policy change sets the indirect rate to 15%, a stark contrast with the 60% or more that many institutions currently rely on for essential administrative and operational costs.”
• NOT-OD-25-068: Supplemental Guidance to the 2024 NIH Grants Policy Statement: Indirect Cost Rates, NIH: “Pursuant to this Supplemental Guidance, there will be a standard indirect rate of 15% across all NIH grants for indirect costs in lieu of a separately negotiated rate for indirect costs in every grant.”

NIH Director Francis Collins and NASA Astronaut Kate Rubins to Keynote Joint Session at ISSRDC “The 2021 International Space Station Research and Development Conference (ISSRDC) will include a virtual keynote session that will feature two key science figures: National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Dr. Francis Collins and NASA astronaut Dr. Kate Rubins.” The Smithsonian’s Dr. Ellen Stofan and NASA’s Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen to Keynote Day 2 Session at ISSRDC […]

‘Radical’ bill seeks to reduce cost of AIDS drugs by awarding prizes instead of patents, Washington Post “More broadly, the Obama administration has pushed prizes for technological advances, sponsoring 150 contests across 40 agencies since 2010. NASA has helped lead the way, handing over $6 million to 23 prize-winning companies since 2005 for such items as better astronaut gloves and more fuel-efficient airplanes. From 2000 to 2007, philanthropic groups have […]