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What’s Ahead
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| Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Heidi Shyu. (Image credit – Lisa Ferdinando / DOD) |
Senators to Review DOD Innovation Initiatives
The Senate Armed Services Committee is holding a hearing on Wednesday to examine the Department of Defense’s innovation policy efforts. Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Heidi Shyu, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Director Stefanie Tompkins, and Defense Innovation Unit Director Michael Brown are appearing as witnesses. The committee’s leaders often use hearings around this time of year to signal their priorities for the annual National Defense Authorization Act. In recent years, Congress has focused on accelerating the development and implementation of cutting-edge technologies, which has involved almost doubling funding for DOD’s Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation accounts to over $120 billion. Congress has also created new funding lines and entities with special administrative authorities to help DOD build partnerships with innovative researchers and focus resources on promising projects. The Defense Innovation Unit is one such mechanism, and DOD has just launched an effort called the Immersive Commercial Acquisition Program to educate department contracting officers in the unit’s methods. Shyu has also been seeking congressional support for a proposed fund called the Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve, though lawmakers have expressed some skepticism over what it will add that prior initiatives have not.
Reviews of Small Business R&D Program Continue
On Wednesday, the House Science Committee is holding a hearing to evaluate the 40-year-old Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which funds R&D projects conducted by small businesses. All federal agencies with extramural R&D budgets above $100 million annually are required to allocate 3.2% of their extramural budgets to the program. Congress is currently weighing whether to extend SBIR and the related Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program, which are both set to expire in September. Among the witnesses is Steve Binkley, acting director of the Department of Energy Office of Science, and Ben Schrag, manager of the National Science Foundation’s SBIR/STTR programs, which are being transferred to the agency’s fledgling Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships. Also testifying are University of North Carolina policy professor Maryann Feldman, who co-chaired a recent National Academies review of DOE’s SBIR/STTR programs, Iowa State University chemical engineering professor Nigel Reuel, and George Caravias, CEO of Geofabrica, an SBIR-supported advanced manufacturing company. The House Small Business Committee also held a hearing on the SBIR/STTR programs last month, at which both Democrats and Republicans expressed support for extending the programs.
Bundle of Bills Advancing Through Science Committee
On Tuesday, the House Science Committee is meeting to advance five bipartisan bills. Among them are ones that would better define the qualifications and responsibilities of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s chief scientist, direct the National Science Foundation to award grants promoting K–12 education in data science and mathematical modeling, and direct the Department of Energy to publicly report on waivers it has granted of cost-sharing requirements on R&D and technology implementation funding awards. The remaining two bills would authorize the U.S. Fire Administration to perform on-site investigations of fires and would halve the maximum review time for commercial remote-sensing license applications submitted to the Commerce Department.
Senate Energy Committee Delves Into Critical Mineral Supplies
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is holding a hearing on “the scope and scale of critical mineral demand and recycling” on Thursday, one week after it held a hearing on domestic critical mineral supply chains. Critical minerals have become a top priority for Committee Chair Joe Manchin (D-WV), who argued at last week’s hearing that work to expand domestic production capacity is urgently needed to reduce reliance on nations such as Russia and particularly China, which he said mines 60% and processes nearly 90% of the world’s supply of rare earth elements. “The administration needs to help make responsible mining and refining possible here,” Manchin said, while cautioning that the U.S. “must not become so desperate for these minerals that we throw our bedrock environmental and labor laws out the window.” Last month, Manchin and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) asked President Biden to invoke the Defense Production Act to accelerate domestic production of critical minerals for lithium-ion batteries, and Biden did so through a policy memorandum on March 31. Among its other directions, the memo instructs the Defense Department to support feasibility studies and projects related to critical mineral mining and processing, mine waste reclamation, and environmental sustainability.
DOE Leaders to Discuss Priorities for Basic Energy Sciences
The Department of Energy’s Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee is meeting on Tuesday. The meeting will begin with a presentation on “research priorities for science and energy” from DOE Under Secretary for Science and Innovation Geri Richmond, who chaired BESAC from 1998 to 2003, followed by updates from leaders at the DOE Office of Science. Although DOE has not yet released its detailed budget justification documentation, topline figures for Office of Science programs are posted and office leaders have begun to discuss the three new cross-cutting initiatives proposed in DOE’s budget request. Further presentations will review developments in research on energy storage, photosynthesis mechanisms, and carbon dioxide removal technologies. The meeting will conclude with a panel discussion on efforts by DOE and the National Science Foundation to address challenges in diversity, equity, inclusion, and scientific workforce retention.
Physicists Convene for APS April Meeting
The American Physical Society’s annual April Meeting will run from Saturday through Tuesday, both in New York City and virtually. On Tuesday, there will be a special session on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, during which APS CEO Jonathan Bagger will provide an update on the society’s response to the crisis. In addition, former Los Alamos National Laboratory Director Sig Hecker will reflect on the nuclear dangers posed by the war, Ukrainian-American physicist George Gamota will discuss the “post-Soviet history of physics collaborations and challenges,” and University of Chicago economist Konstantin Sonin, who was born in Moscow, will deliver remarks titled, “Ukraine and Russia: Separating Fact From Fiction.” Later that day, there will be a series of talks focused on future collider facilities and the upcoming “Snowmass” meeting, a key part of the U.S. particle physics community’s strategic planning process. The meeting also includes sessions related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, decarbonization, rare earth supply chains, and advanced nuclear reactors. (APS is an AIP Member Society.)
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In Case You Missed It
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| Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), who chairs the House Science Committee’s Research and Technology Subcommittee, managed floor debate on the last procedural measure Congress needed to undertake to send the America COMPETES Act of 2022 and the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act to a conference committee. (Image credit – U.S. House of Representatives) |
COMPETES Act Cleared for Conference Committee
Last week, Congress completed procedural votes necessary to form a conference committee that will aim to reconcile differences between the House’s America COMPETES Act and the Senate’s U.S. Innovation and Competition Act. The White House applauded the move, referring to the legislation as the “Bipartisan Innovation Act.” The next step is for Democrats and Republicans to appoint conferees who will lead the negotiations. Among the many issues to be ironed out is that the Senate version of the legislation generally does more to ratchet up research security policies, an approach also favored by House Republicans. House Science Committee Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) successfully offered a motion last week to instruct the conferees to adopt a Senate proposal that would prevent Chinese military companies or “military-civil fusion contributors” from receiving funds from certain programs authorized by the legislation, including a new directorate at the National Science Foundation, new technology hub and supply chain resiliency programs at the Commerce Department, and the Manufacturing USA program. The motion, which is non-binding, passed on a vote of 351 to 74, with all opposing votes coming from Democrats, including House Science Committee Chair Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX).
ARPA–H Placed in NIH But Will Report to HHS Secretary
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra announced last week that the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health will be set up as a wing of the National Institutes of Health, but its director will report to the HHS secretary rather than the NIH director. The compromise is intended to help provide autonomy to ARPA–H while reducing the administrative burdens associated with standing up a new agency. “We don’t want them to worry about who’s going to run human resources instead of who’s going to come up with the next innovation,” Becerra told the House Appropriations Committee at a hearing on March 31, adding that ARPA–H will be physically separated from NIH’s main campus in Bethesda, Maryland. Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Ranking Member Tom Cole (R-OK) both said they would prefer for ARPA–H to be an independent agency, with DeLauro stating that placing it within NIH “will hamper the agency’s ability to achieve these breakthroughs.” In a separate statement, Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) called Becerra’s decision “an opportunity squandered.” Last year, Eshoo introduced legislation that would establish ARPA–H as an independent agency within HHS. However, a counterpart bill in the Senate would place it within NIH, in line with the Biden administration’s original proposal. Becerra is set to appear at several congressional hearings this week to discuss the president’s fiscal year 2023 budget request, which includes $5 billion for ARPA–H, an increase of $4 billion above the amount Congress just provided for its initial funding.
New US Export Control Chief Confirmed
On a voice vote last week, the Senate confirmed Alan Estevez as head of the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), which manages export control policy for commercial goods. Estevez was nominated for the role in July 2021 and previously worked in the Department of Defense for 36 years, including as DOD’s number-two acquisition and technology official from 2013 to 2017. Estevez will lead BIS as it has taken on an unprecedented level of responsibility, imposing sweeping export controls on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine, many of which are designed to isolate technology-centric sectors in Russia. BIS has blacklisted dozens of Russian research organizations since the invasion began, and the latest tranche of restrictions announced last week includes two physics institutes. Separately, BIS is facing pressure from Congress to more quickly implement controls on “emerging” and “foundational” technologies in response to a 2018 law that overhauled the export control system, with an eye toward restricting China’s ability to acquire U.S.-developed technologies. At his nomination hearing last year, Estevez outlined his thinking about how to craft effective export controls on such technologies, expressing a preference for multilateral arrangements.
Senate Confirms State Department Nonproliferation Head
Last week, the Senate confirmed C.S. Eliot Kang as assistant secretary of state for international security and nonproliferation on a vote of 52 to 46. Kang has long worked on nuclear threats and arms control issues as a civil servant at the State Department, and he has been serving in the assistant secretary role on an acting basis since the beginning of the Biden administration. Speaking ahead of the confirmation vote, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Bob Menendez (D-NJ) lamented that nearly a year had passed since President Biden nominated him for the job and blamed Republicans for setting up procedural roadblocks. “At a time of increasing concern about the potential use of chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine by Russia, it is vital the United States have a Senate-confirmed official in place to counter these dangers, as well as other nuclear threats,” he remarked. The Republicans’ near-party-line opposition to Kang’s nomination does not appear to stem from an objection to him specifically. Last fall, Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jim Risch (R-ID) argued that, while Kang has strong experience on nuclear nonproliferation issues, the State Department has in general been “woefully absent” in confronting biological threats, and he said the pandemic has been a “wake-up call” to take such threats more seriously.
DOE Science Office Offering Funds for Displaced Ukrainians
On April 4, the Department of Energy Office of Science issued a dear colleague letter that encourages its grantees to consider hosting Ukrainian students or scientists impacted by the war in Ukraine. The office notes grantees can request supplemental funds for this purpose and that it will assist with the visa approval process where necessary. The funds can be used to support work at U.S. institutions or “remote collaborations” involving students and scientists already located at European institutions.
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Events This Week
All times are Eastern Daylight Time, unless otherwise noted. Listings do not imply endorsement.
Monday, April 4
Tuesday, April 5
Wednesday, April 6
Thursday, April 7
Friday, April 8
Saturday, April 9
Monday, April 11
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Opportunities OSTP Seeking Input on Sustainable Chemistry
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy is accepting comments on how to define the term “sustainable chemistry” and on how federal agencies could better support the field. The comments will inform OSTP’s response to a recent law that requires the office to develop a consensus definition and an associated strategic plan. Submissions are due June 3.
Space Studies Board Hiring Deputy Director
The National Academies is hiring a deputy director for its Space Studies Board, which advises the U.S. government on space policy and manages the decadal survey process for several fields of space science. Applicants must have a doctorate in a relevant field or equivalent knowledge.
OSTP Seeking Input on Climate Impacts of ‘Digital Assets’
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy is accepting comments on ways to reduce the amount of energy required by “digital assets” such as cryptocurrencies and blockchain systems. OSTP also seeks input on how such emerging technologies could be used to promote emissions reductions, such as through carbon accounting and verification systems. The responses will inform an OSTP report on the topic mandated by a March executive order on “Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets.” Submissions are due May 9.
Know of an upcoming science policy event either inside or outside the Beltway? Email us at fyi@aip.org.
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