STM NEWSROOM

As noted in last month’s newsletter, NIH has formally proposed a cap on the use of NIH grant funds for publication costs in a blog post and an associated request for information. STM CEO Caroline Sutton met with the NIH Office of Science Policy in August and was told that they are very open to the comments, and want to consider…

On 16 July, the European Commission presented the first draft of its 2028-34 budget, which includes €175 billion for Horizon Europe — nearly double its current funding. Horizon Europe would remain a standalone programme, although the €175 billion would be part of the €409 billion European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) and the €1.8 trillion Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF)….

The EU Commission released three key documents last month for the implementation of the EU AI Act’s rules for providers of general-purpose AI models, related to the obligations that took effect on 2 August: The Code of Practice outlines voluntary measures regarding transparency, copyright and safety and security. These guidelines clarify the scope of the definition and obligations of providers….

Last month, the US unveiled its AI Action Plan accompanied by three executive orders. Taken together, the efforts aim to remove any road blocks from the active development and deployment of American AI. Counter to the Biden Administration’s risk-based approach, the executive orders and action plan focus instead on promoting the unrestricted use and development of AI,…

In a memo last month that may be an indicator of things to come, the USDA announced that it will ‘place America First in provisioning all USDA funds’ and begin reviewing all contracts and grants for interaction with foreign entities. The memo also requires recipients of USDA funding to disclose any association with foreign entities and ‘certify…

For the past two years, the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Act has prevented the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) from implementing the Nelson Memo, which would provide free access to all federally funded research. This year’s draft of the appropriations bill upholds that decision. The updated draft contains new language, however, about Congress’s concerns over…

Following its announcement last month that the US National Institutes of Health would implement a cap on allowable publication costs and associated comments that OSTP Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya made in interviews (here and here), NIH has announced five potential options for limiting the amount of taxpayer money that goes to support publishing: Disallow all publication costs. Set a limit on allowable costs per publication (e.g., $2000). Option 2,…

Following its announcement last month that the US National Institutes of Health would implement a cap on allowable publication costs and associated comments that OSTP Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya made in interviews (here and here), NIH has announced five potential options for limiting the amount of taxpayer money that goes to support publishing: Disallow all publication costs. Set a limit on allowable costs per publication (e.g., $2000). Option 2,…

The EU Commission is seeking 60 independent experts to support the implementation and enforcement of the AI Act. The chosen experts will serve on a scientific panel and advise the EU AI office on general-purpose AI, including evaluation methodologies, cross-border market surveillance and emerging risks. All candidates must hold a PhD or equivalent, be free of…

The NIH will restore 900 grants that were cut earlier this year under a recent court ruling. Other researchers have seen reversals in research cuts from other agencies, and courts are investigating cuts by NSF and others (e.g., this one and this one). The cap of 15% on overhead at NSF and NIH is also on hold pending court…