The Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF)—an alliance of more than 130 professional organizations, scientific societies, universities, and businesses that advocate for the National Science Foundation (NSF)—has called on congressional leadership to include $3 billion in emergency relief for the NSF while providing relief to all federal science agencies.
The groups wrote, in part: “Though our nation’s scientists and research institutions have risen to the challenge of the pandemic, they are facing enormous strains on their operations and infrastructure. NSF needs additional funding to support research grants, students and post-docs, early-career faculty, and scientific facilities. Federally funded scientists and engineers are experiencing significant negative impacts to their work during the pandemic, such as delays or cessation of their research projects, an extremely challenging academic and research job market, lab closures, and uncertainty about continuing to pay salaries, extend timelines, access needed lab equipment, and more. These impacts have disproportionately affected students, trainees, and early-career researchers, who make up an important segment of NSF award recipients. Without emergency relief, we risk many early-career researchers and STEM students leaving science altogether, losing a generation of diverse talent that is the bedrock of our national competitiveness.”
AIBS is a member of CNSF.