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Quantum Experts Pitch Ideas for Renewing National Initiative

The House Science Committee is holding a hearing on Wednesday to gather ideas for updating the National Quantum Initiative Act . Congress has already substantially modified the NQI by authorizing new quantum networking and computing programs through the CHIPS and Science Act, but the hearing charter notes the funding targets for programs created by the original act do not extend beyond the current fiscal year. The hearing’s witness list includes physicist Charles Tahan, who leads the NQI’s coordinating office and co-chairs its advisory committee, which published recommendations for updating the initiative last week. Also testifying are former Energy Department Under Secretary for Science Paul Dabbar, Quantum Economic Development Consortium Executive Director Celia Merzbacher, Illinois Quantum Information Science and Technology Center Executive Director Emily Edwards, and NASA researcher Eleanor Rieffel.

Science Committee Continues Push to Update Weather Act

The House Science Committee is examining opportunities to improve weather data quality and availability at a subcommittee hearing on Tuesday, the latest in a series supporting the committee’s push to update the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017. This week’s hearing focuses on the quality and availability of weather data with witnesses representing the community of data users, including two state climatologists, a water resources manager, and a fertilizer company scientist. House Science Committee Chair Frank Lucas (R-OK) and Environment Subcommittee Chair Max Miller (R-OH) have emphasized their desire for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to rely more heavily on commercially produced weather data.

Lawmakers Renew Effort to Strengthen R&D Tax Credit

The House Small Business Committee is holding a hearing on Tuesday to advocate for reforming tax policies that incentivize businesses to conduct R&D. A memo previewing the hearing notes that the tax overhaul legislation enacted early in the Trump administration weakened the R&D tax credit by repealing a policy that permitted companies to immediately deduct qualified research expenses rather than amortize them. A bipartisan group of lawmakers unsuccessfully attempted to reverse the repeal before it went into effect at the beginning of 2022 and several have already reintroduced legislation on the subject in the House and Senate .

Senate Set for Vote on DOE Infrastructure Under Secretary Nominee

The Senate is gearing up to vote on the nomination of David Crane to be the Department of Energy’s under secretary for infrastructure. Crane is the former CEO of utility company NRG and has been serving since September as head of DOE’s new Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, a position that does not require Senate confirmation. DOE realigned the under secretary role last year largely to oversee the office, which Congress created to administer the more than $20 billion in commercial-scale energy projects funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 . The under secretary also oversees certain previously existing offices, including the Loan Programs Office, which had its lending authority vastly expanded through last year’s Inflation Reduction Act. Career DOE official Kathleen Hogan has been serving as acting under secretary since February 2022 and will remain on as principal deputy under secretary.

Astronomers Gather in Albuquerque for AAS Meeting

The American Astronomical Society’s 242nd meeting is underway this week in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Many sessions will focus on how agencies are implementing priorities recommended by the Astro2020 decadal survey, such as NASA’s launch of a Great Observatory Maturation Program to de-risk technologies necessary for future space telescopes. Efforts to mitigate the growing impacts of light pollution are also an ongoing focus for AAS. Its recently renamed Committee for the Protection of Astronomy and the Space Environment (COMPASSE) is holding an open house focused on ground-based light pollution to complement its attention to light pollution caused by rapidly proliferating satellite constellations, explaining that ground-based pollution “remains the largest man-made impact on astronomical science and which has continued to grow significantly year-to-year, as a recent landmark citizen-science paper revealed.” (AAS is an AIP Member Society.)

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Annual Audit Delves Into NASA Science Portfolio Tensions

Last week, the Government Accountability Office released its annual audit of NASA’s major projects , which tracks cost growth, schedule delays, and technical risks that large-budget missions are facing ahead of launch. GAO notes there have been few new problems reported on the agency’s most delayed and over-budget activities, but it also spotlights signs of creeping trouble within the Science Mission Directorate, where the Mars Sample Return mission’s ballooning budget is diverting funding from other efforts. NASA has not released its cost estimates for MSR, but GAO reports the mission was projected to cost between $5.9 billion and $6.2 billion when it passed an early management milestone last September, whereas the 2022 planetary science decadal survey anticipated MSR would cost $5.3 billion. Costs for MSR remain in flux, and two weeks ago an independent review board started assessing NASA’s plans for the mission ahead of its confirmation review, when the agency will set a firm baseline cost estimate.

Other science activities under pressure include the Dragonfly mission to Saturn’s moon Titan, which is set to cost more than $2 billion. Officials told GAO that Dragonfly’s annual budgets have lagged “optimal” levels, leading some work to be deferred, and that a delay to the mission’s anticipated 2027 launch is “likely” if its planned spending profile is not met. Mission leader Zibi Turtle recently indicated that the $328 million NASA has proposed for fiscal year 2024 would fall short. GAO further states that costs stemming from last year’s one-year delay in the launch of the roughly $1 billion Psyche asteroid mission amount to $132 million, not counting potential increases for the mission’s operating phase that are still being assessed. Last November, an independent review linked Psyche’s delay to staffing shortages at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is developing Psyche, MSR, and several other missions, and agency officials are presenting a follow-up report to the public on Monday this week. GAO reports that another JPL mission, the $5 billion Europa Clipper, is tracking risks to its October 2024 launch date stemming from an inability to transition needed workforce from Psyche. The Clipper would have to wait a full year for its next launch opportunity.

Space Diplomacy Strategy Issued by State Department

The State Department released its first Strategic Framework for Space Diplomacy last week, outlining plans to promote U.S. standards for space behavior, support the commercial space industry, and build new relationships with existing and emerging space programs. It points to the Artemis Accords as one such mechanism for coordinating space activities internationally, with the number of countries participating now numbering 25 following the addition of Spain last week. The department broadly states the U.S. will expand partnerships with countries that “share our democratic values of openness, transparency, adaptability, and the free flow of ideas and information,” noting that the Artemis Accords include commitments to share scientific data. It identifies China and Russia as key competitor nations in space and states future cooperation with them will depend on their “adherence to international standards both in space and here on Earth.” The strategy also discusses plans to constrain their space programs through arms-control agreements and export controls, and to use satellite imagery to “build U.S. credibility and counter false narratives and disinformation.”

DOE ‘Milestone’ Fusion Program Makes First Funding Awards

The Department of Energy’s new Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program announced initial funding awards to eight companies totaling $46 million last week. Each award is for the first 18 months of a project lasting up to five years that aims to resolve scientific and technological challenges confronting the construction of a fusion energy pilot plant. Pending availability of funding for the program, the companies can receive larger awards in the future as they accomplish defined objectives. Two of the awards are to Commonwealth Fusion Energy and a U.S. subsidiary of the British company Tokamak Energy, which are developing compact tokamaks, the fusion reactor concept that has to date received the most attention from private investment funds. Of the reactor designs the other companies are developing, two are stellarators, two are inertial fusion energy concepts, one is a Z-pinch concept, and one is a high-field axisymmetric mirror concept. “By funding such a diverse portfolio, our ultimate goal is for the strongest solutions to rise to the top and to help us chart a clear path forward to bring clean fusion energy to American homes and businesses,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm remarked during an online event .

NSF Makes New Midscale Infrastructure Awards

The National Science Foundation announced last week it is awarding $92 million to the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research to build its proposed Airborne Phased Array Radar system. The radar will be attached to the outside of an aircraft and flown over land and oceans to gather high-resolution data on clouds and severe storms, allowing researchers to improve weather prediction models. The grant is the third and final one in the latest funding round of NSF’s Mid-scale Research Infrastructure-2 program, which supports projects for which NSF’s share of the cost is between $20 million and $100 million. In May, the agency awarded $53 million to expand the Simons Observatory in Chile and in March awarded $91 million to Arizona State University to support construction of its proposed Compact X-ray Free-Electron Laser facility. The program has previously funded five other projects since it launched in 2020.

Biden Signs Bill Constraining Federal Budget for Two Years

President Biden signed legislation last week that raises the federal debt limit until after the 2024 presidential election in exchange for constraining federal spending for two years. The House passed the bill on a bipartisan vote of 314-117 and the Senate approved it soon after on a vote of 63-36. Called the Fiscal Responsibility Act, the legislation will essentially hold the federal non-defense discretionary budget flat in fiscal year 2024 and limit it to a 1% increase in fiscal year 2025. These caps will make it very difficult for Congress to provide substantial budget increases for science agencies, such as those proposed in the CHIPS and Science Act for the Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, and National Institute of Standards and Technology. Republican senators criticized the limits the bill places on defense spending and unsuccessfully tried to modify the amount through amendments . In remarks before the final vote, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) sought to assure his colleagues that the legislation does not affect Congress’ ability to approve supplementary defense spending or emergency funding for disaster relief and “other issues of national importance.”

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All times are Eastern Standard Time, unless otherwise noted. Listings do not imply endorsement.

Monday, June 5

American Astronomical Society: Summer meeting
(continues through Thursday)

NSF: Virtual Grants Conference
(continues through Thursday)

National Academies: Committee on Science, Engineering, Medicine, and Public Policy meeting
(continues Tuesday)

National Academies: “Preserving and Developing Ukraine’s Human Capital in Research, Education, and Innovation”
(continues Tuesday)

National Academies: “Disrupting Ableism and Advancing STEM: A National Leadership Summit”
11:00 am - 4:30 pm

Atlantic Council: “Beyond Chatbots: How the U.S.–China Tech Race Will Define AI’s Future,” with Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL)
11:30 am

NSPN: “Science Diplomacy 101”
1:00 - 2:00 pm

OSTP: “Research Security Programs Standard Requirement Listening Session One: Working with the Higher Education Community toward NSPM-33 Implementation ”
1:00 - 2:30 pm

OSTP: “Open Science Possibilities for Equitable Participation and Access: Perspectives from Early Career Researchers at Emerging Research Institutions”
1:00 - 3:00 pm

NASA: Media teleconference on Psyche mission independent review board follow-up report
4:00 pm

Tuesday, June 6

National Academies: Space Studies Board and Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board joint meeting
(continues through Friday)

NIST: Industrial Advisory Committee meeting
9:30 am - 4:30 pm

House: “Reauthorizing the Weather Act: Users of Weather Data and Areas for Improvement by Sector”
10:00 am, Science Committee

House: “IP and Strategic Competition with China: Part II – Prioritizing U.S. Innovation Over Assisting Foreign Adversaries”
10:00 am, Judiciary Committee

House: “American Ingenuity: Promoting Innovation Through the Tax Code”
10:00 am, Small Business Committee

Brookings Institution: “Is There Room for U.S.–China Collaboration in an Era of Strategic Competition,?” with Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ)
10:00 am - 11:30 am

NASA: Aeronautics Advisory Committee meeting
10:15 am - 4:30 pm

CHORUS: “Mapping the Research Lifecycle - Connecting the Pieces”
11:00 am - 12:30 pm

National Academies: “Global Microelectronics Models for DOD in Semiconductor Public-Private Partnerships”
12:00 - 1:00 pm

ITIF: “Does the U.S. Need a New AI Regulator?”
1:00 - 2:00 pm

DOE: Fermi Award Ceremony
3:00 - 4:00 pm PDT

OSTP: “Open Science Possibilities for Career Advancement: Perspectives from Early Career Researchers on Opportunities and Challenges in Career Progression and Trajectory”
3:00 - 5:00 pm

Hoover Institution: “A Fresh Start: Safeguarding People, Rights, and Research Amid U.S. – China Competition”
4:00 - 5:30 pm PDT

Wednesday, June 7

National Academies: “Review of the Continued Analysis of Supplemental Treatment of Low-Activity Waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation,” public meeting
4:00 - 8:30 pm

NRC: Reactor Safeguards Advisory Committee meeting
(continues through Friday)

DOE: Electricity Advisory Committee meeting
(continues Thursday)

National Academies: “NASA Mission Critical Workforce, Infrastructure, and Technology,” meeting four
(continues Thursday)

National Academies: Polar Research Board meeting
(continues Thursday)

National Academies: “Looking Ahead to the Next Decade of Science Standards”
9:00 am - 5:00 pm

House: “Advancing American Leadership in Quantum Technology”
10:00 am, Science Committee

Brookings Institution: “America’s Commercial, Scientific, and Naval Roles in a Changing Global Landscape”
10:00 - 11:00 am

National Academies: Air Force Studies Board summer meeting
10:00 am - 5:00 pm

House: “Looking Back Before Moving Forward: Assessing CDC’s Failures in Fulfilling its Mission”
10:30 am, Energy and Commerce Committee

Foundation for Defense of Democracies: “Thinking Forward After the NSCAI and CSC: A Panel on AI and Cyber Policy,” with Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI)
12:00 - 1:00 pm

National Academies: “Disrupting Ableism and Advancing STEM: Creating Disability-Inclusive Workforces and Workplaces”
12:00 - 3:00 pm

Senate: “AI and Intellectual Property – Part I: Patents, Innovation, and Competition”
3:00 pm, Judiciary Committee

NSPN: “Leveraging AI to Enhance the Quality and Efficiency of Your S&T Policy Activities: An Exploration of ChatGPT Applications”
6:00 - 7:30 pm

Thursday, June 8

COGR: Council on Governmental Relations meeting
(continues Friday)

NSF: Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate Advisory Committee meeting
(continues Friday)

NSF: Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate Advisory Committee meeting
(continues Friday)

NIH: Advisory Committee to the Director meeting
(continues Friday)

National Academies: “Decadal Survey for Solar and Space Physics: Panel on Space Weather Science and Applications,” meeting two
(continues Friday)

National Academies: Board on Science Education meeting
(continues Friday)

American Philosophical Society: “Women in Science: Achievements and Barriers”
(continues Friday)

Wilson Center: “The Inflation Reduction Act and the Green Deal Industrial Plan: Transatlantic Cooperation on Critical Minerals”
9:00 - 10:30 am

Bipartisan Policy Center: “Emerging Technology and the Workforce,” with Reps. Jay Olbernolte (R-CA) and Robin Kelly (D-IL)
10:00 - 11:00 am

Senate: “The Federal Response to Escalating Wildfires and Reforms to Land Management and Wildland Firefighter Recruitment and Retention”
10:00 am, Energy and Natural Resources Committee

National Academies: “The Role of the Subsurface in a Hydrogen Economy”
11:00 am - 2:00 pm

National Academies: “Pathways to Doctoral Degrees in Computing,” meeting nine
1:00 - 5:00 pm

National Academies: “U.S. Research Trends - The Impact of Globalization and Collaboration”
1:00 - 2:00 pm

American Meteorological Society: 2023 William Hooke Lecture in Science and Society
4:30 pm

ESEP: Science policy happy hour
5:00 - 7:00 pm

Friday, June 9

National Academies: “Pathways to Doctoral Degrees in Computing,” meeting 10
10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Japan Society for Promotion of Science: “Science in Japan Forum: Quantum Taste of the Universe”
1:00 - 6:00 pm

Sunday, June 11

American Nuclear Society: Annual meeting
(continues through Wednesday)

Monday, June 12

NEREID: “Our Changing Planet”
(continues through Wednesday)

Planetary Science Institute: Workshop on EDIA for leaders in planetary science
(continues through Wednesday)

National Academies: “AI to Assist Mathematical Reasoning: A Workshop”
(continues through Wednesday)

DOE: Advanced Scientific Computing Advisory Committee meeting
(continues Tuesday)

National Academies: “NASA Mission Critical Workforce, Infrastructure, and Technology,” meeting on technology
10:00 am - 3:30 pm

National Academies: Roundtable on problems affecting graduate and postdoctoral fellowship administration
12:30 - 4:30 pm

OSTP: “Research Security Programs Standard Requirement Listening Session Two: Working with the Higher Education Community toward NSPM-33 Implementation”
1:00 - 2:30 pm

OSTP: “Open Science Possibilities for Training and Capacity Building: Perspectives from the Early Career Researcher-Supporting Community”
1:00 - 3:00 pm

National Academies: Army Research Laboratory Technical Assessment Board meeting
2:00 - 5:00 pm

Know of an upcoming science policy event either inside or outside the Beltway? Email us at fyi@aip.org .

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FYI Hiring Science Policy Reporter

FYI is hiring a science policy reporter with strong working knowledge of policy to write news and analysis articles about legislative activity and science agency initiatives. Applicants should have a bachelor’s degree and two or more years of experience in policy reporting or policy analysis, preferably in a related field. Ability to write on a tight deadline and experience cultivating sources are also required.

National Biotechnology Commission Hiring Staff

The National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology is hiring a senior policy advisor and a policy analyst, among other roles. Congress created the commission to evaluate how emerging biotechnologies will shape current and future activities of the Department of Defense. The final report is expected late next year.

GAO Hiring Nuclear Physicist

The Government Accountability Office is hiring a nuclear physicist to join its Science, Technology Assessment, and Analytics group, which advises Congress on emerging S&T issues. Applicants must have a degree in a physical science field, engineering, or mathematics. Applications are due June 15.

Know of an opportunity for scientists to engage in science policy? Email us at fyi@aip.org .

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News and views currently in circulation. Links do not imply endorsement.

White House

Fedscoop: White House appoints Denice Ross as US deputy chief technology officer for tech capacity, Dominique Duval-Diop as US chief data scientist
White House: US–EU Trade and Technology Council deepens transatlantic ties
White House: US – EU joint statement of the Trade and Technology Council
White House: Remarks by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan for the Arms Control Association annual forum
OSTP: Notice of upcoming RFI on draft National Plan for Civil Earth Observations
White House: Readout of President Biden’s summer hazards briefing
COGR: Response to RFI on NSPM 33 research security programs standard requirement
Columbia University: Obama presidency oral history preview: 17 interviews related to climate change, energy, and the environment

Congress

Roll Call: Implications of the debt limit deal (audio)
New York Times: CHIPS Act funding for science and research falls short
AAAS: What the Fiscal Responsibility Act means for R&D funding
CRS: Research security provisions not enacted in CHIPS and Science Act of 2022
House Science Committee: Republicans seek answers on UC Berkeley’s failure to disclose gifts from the Chinese government
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI): Gallagher opens investigation into university with DOD-funded weapons research, partnership with Chinese military-linked university
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI): Gallagher introduces bill requiring full transparency over taxpayer dollars sent to China and Russia
Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM): New Senate National Labs Caucus formed by bipartisan group of senators
E&E News Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-IL), the weatherman using his climate knowledge in Congress

Science, Society, and the Economy

Project Syndicate: Western industrial policy and international law (perspective by Joseph Stiglitz)
Scientific American: False ‘facts’ about science and social security share origins (perspective by Naomi Oreskes)
New York Times: Einstein and a theory of disinformation (perspective by Benyamin Cohen)

Education and Workforce

Nature: Thousands of early-career NIH researchers forming union for first time
Physics: In a survey of 244 engineering graduate students, one-fifth admit to cheating or committing some form of research malpractice during their studies
Nature: How to deliver a safer research culture for LGBTQIA+ researchers (audio)
Undark: In the death of an Iranian scientist, hints of unchecked strife
Physics Today: John Herschel helped liberate science from the realm of aristocratic privilege (perspective by Stephen Case)

Research Management

Nature: EU council’s ‘no pay’ publishing model draws mixed response
Nature: AI intensifies fight against ‘paper mills’ that churn out fake research
China Talk: OpenAI: How do they do it? Lessons from Jiu-Jitsu innovation and for S&T policy
The Received Wisdom: The importance of the humanities, tech politics, and equity in science, featuring Cassidy Sugimoto (audio interview)
Nature Human Behaviour: Data, measurement and empirical methods in the science of science (paper by Lu Liu, et al.)
NSF OIG: Semiannual report to Congress
DOD OIG: Audit of DOD’s implementation and oversight of the controlled unclassified information program (report)
NIH: Request for comments on updated policy guidance for subaward/consortium written agreements
AAU: Six leading research universities join the Association of American Universities

Labs and Facilities

Physics Today: World-leading rare isotope facility is on line in Michigan
Jefferson Lab: DOE greenlights MOLLER experiment to begin procurement of key components with its granting of Critical Decision-3A
NCAR: Jon Petch named director of NCAR’s Climate and Global Dynamics Lab
Lawrence Livermore National Lab: LLNL introduces Advanced Characterization and Evaluation Lab and manufacturing facility
Lawrence Livermore National Lab: LLNL’s Lori Diachin takes helm of DOE’s Exascale Computing Project
Oak Ridge National Lab: Matt Sieger selected to lead ORNL’s next supercomputer, OLCF-6
Oak Ridge National Lab: Ann Weaver named director for facilities and operations at ORNL
AURA: Association of Universities for Astronomy welcomes two new member institutions
Gran Sasso National Laboratories: LNGS-FUTURE upgrade to advance search for rare events

Computing and Communications

NIST: NIST releases summary of RFI responses for semiconductor-related Manufacturing USA Institutes
Foreign Policy: Who will make the chips?
Bloomberg: How we’ll know if the CHIPS Act is working (interview with Dan Wang)
DOJ: Former engineer sentenced for possessing stolen semiconductor trade secret
New Yok Times: AI poses ‘risk of extinction,’ industry leaders warn
AP: China warns of AI risks, calls for beefed-up national security measures
Science|Business: EU and US hatch transatlantic plan to rein in ChatGPT
SCSP: National action plan for US leadership in advanced networks (report)
National Academies: Advancing chemistry and quantum information science (report)
Export Compliance Daily: Treasury official names sectors that could be subject to outbound restrictions: Semiconductors, AI, and quantum computing

Space

NASA: Intuitive Machines lunar landing site moves to south pole
Washington Post: NASA plays hide-and-seek with unrelenting Mars helicopter Ingenuity
ESA: Mars Express milestones: Two-year mission enters its third decade
Financial Times: Europan Space Agency aims to send astronauts to Moon on European rocket
Planetary Radio: The policy implications of active SETI (audio)
New York Times: NASA panel says data problems make explaining UFOs difficult
Politico: If the government has UFO crash materials, it’s time to reveal them (perspective by Christopher Mellon)
The Debrief: Intelligence agency whistleblower says US has retrieved craft of non-human origin

Weather, Climate, and Environment

House Science Committee: Republicans request GAO oversight of NOAA satellite program
Weather Geeks: Interview with National Hurricane Center Director Mike Brennan (audio)
Weather Brains: Interview with National Severe Storms Lab Director DaNa Carlis (audio)
Buenos Aires Times: Argentina’s Celeste Saulo becomes first woman to head the World Meteorological Organization
San Francisco Chronicle: State Farm won’t write new home policies in California. What’s next?
Reuters: Nations who pledged to fight climate change are sending money to strange places
Nature: New Zealand science agency pleads guilty to volcano risk-assessment charge
CRS: Is that climate change? The science of extreme event attribution (report)
Works in Progress: Olivine weathering might be the key to slowing down climate change (perspective by Campbell Nilsen)
E&E News: Project Bison, a large carbon removal proposal, faces delays

Energy

GAO: Priority open recommendations: Department of Energy (report)
Science: Major US geological survey aims to uncover minerals critical for batteries and microchips
New York Times: As US races ahead, Europe frets about battery factory subsidies
Inside Climate News: Federal hydrogen program is cutting out local groups, threatening climate goals, advocates say
CRS: Fusion energy
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA): Senate Intelligence Committee leaders host public-private roundtable on small modular reactors
DOE: Notice of intent to prepare EIS for HALEU Availability Program

Defense

New York Times: A $528 billion plan to clean up 54 million gallons of radioactive bomb-making waste may never be achieved
SpaceNews: DARPA launches initiative to help tech companies work on classified programs
China Talk: Michele Flournoy on US – China and DOD innovation (audio interview)
SCSP: Offset-X: Closing the deterrence gap and building the future joint force (report)
Inside Defense: DOD sees quantum tech ‘approaching a tipping point,’ proposes $475 million acceleration plan
Emerging Technologies Institute: Why is glass so critical for supporting emerging technologies for defense? (video)
SpaceNews: Space Force exploring options to build weather monitoring constellation
DOD: DOD hosts 2023 Climate Resilience Workshop
DOD: AUKUS partners demonstrate advanced capabilities trial
Defense News: Air Force general set to lead Missile Defense Agency
Defense Science Board: Summary of summer study on new dimensions of conflict (report)

Biomedical

Washington Post: Biden plans to pick physician Mandy Cohen to lead CDC
GAO: Federal actions needed to improve zoonotic disease surveillance and better assess human health risks posed by wildlife (report)
Issues in Science and Technology: Biosafety needs to redefine itself as a science (perspective by Anthony Schwartz, et al.)
Washington Post: How to ‘build a better NIH’
ScienceInsider: EPA decision to tighten oversight of gene-edited crops draws mixed response
Works in Progress: We need a second Green Revolution – one that, this time, is driven by genetic engineering (perspective by Niko McCarty)
Issues in Science and Technology: Racing to be first to be second: A coordinated regulatory framework for the bioeconomy (perspective by Mary Maxon)
FAS: Strengthening the US biomanufacturing sector through standardization (perspective by Chris Stowers)
Financial Times: AstraZeneca defies geopolitics to bet on China
Bloomberg: China’s $220 billion biotech initiative is struggling to take off

International Affairs

Reuters: State treason trial of Russian physicist begins in St. Petersburg
The Guardian: ‘Spymania’ grips Russian security services amid sharp rise in treason cases against scientists
CSIS: Optimizing export controls for critical and emerging technologies (report)
The Wire China: How the Commerce Department became central to US China policy
South China Morning Post: Ding Xuexiang sets fast pace for China’s high-tech drive in another sign of new role
Research Professional: New Zealand and China reaffirm strong science relationship
Reuters: New Zealand launches space policy, notes growing strategic competition
Science|Business: Horizon Europe was €34 billion short in first two years according to European Commission’s new analysis
Science|Business: How to strengthen impact of research and innovation during the next phase of Horizon Europe (perspective by Marc Lemaître)
Science|Business: The race is on to choose Europe’s Regional Innovation Valleys
Science|Business: Universities call for an Africa – EU science fund
Nature: India cuts periodic table and evolution from school textbooks — experts are baffled
Global Research Council: Funders discuss how to foster scientific collaboration amid growing geopolitical tensions
Global Research Council: New working group of the GRC is tasked with facilitating multilateral cooperation in science
Global Research Council: Statement of principles and practices on climate change research funding