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What’s Ahead
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| Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Heidi Shyu is testifying before Congress this week on the president’s latest budget request for defense science and technology programs. (Image credit – Eric Dietrich / U.S. Air Force) |
Budget Hearing Season Entering Full Bloom
Congressional hearings on President Biden’s fiscal year 2024 budget request will be moving at full speed this week and are scheduled to continue throughout the spring. Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Heidi Shyu is appearing before the House Armed Services Committee on Thursday to discuss the administration’s proposals for defense science and technology programs. Combined funding for basic research, applied research, and advanced technology development would be cut 20% to $17.8 billion under the request, although that amount is nearly $1.4 billion higher than the administration’s previous request. Committee members may also take the opportunity to broach policy areas they are interested in addressing through the annual National Defense Authorization Act. Also on Thursday, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is appearing before the House appropriations subcommittee that handles the Department of Energy’s budget, which will be the first hearing led by the panel’s new chair, Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN). In the Senate, appropriators have set out a tentative schedule for their budget review hearings, with science agency officials mostly set to testify in April and May. Off Capitol Hill, Missile Defense Agency Director Jon Hill is discussing the budget request for his agency at an event on Friday marking the 40th anniversary of President Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative, a high-profile effort to develop a space-based system for destroying nuclear missiles that was later abandoned.
Committees Look to Shore Up Energy Infrastructure
The House Science Committee is holding a hearing on Thursday to inform three draft bills that would guide the Department of Energy’s research, development, and demonstration programs focused on hydrogen fuel, pipelines, and grid security. Among its other provisions, the hydrogen bill would direct the DOE Office of Science to stand up a national “Hydrogen Innovation Center” at a national lab, university, federal agency, or multi-institutional collaboration. Testifying at the hearing are representatives from Idaho National Lab, Pacific Northwest National Lab, Pipeline Research Council International, the energy innovation advocacy group ClearPath, and the Energy Emissions Modeling and Data Lab at the University of Texas at Austin. Also on Thursday, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is meeting to discuss cybersecurity vulnerabilities of U.S. energy infrastructure with the director of DOE’s cybersecurity office. Just beforehand, the committee will vote to approve its subcommittee rosters for the new Congress.
ARPA–E Holds Annual Innovation Summit
The Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy is holding its yearly Energy Innovation Summit just outside Washington, D.C., this Wednesday through Friday, with an array of policymakers participating. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz will speak, as will the first ARPA–E Director Arun Majumdar and current presidential science adviser Arati Prabhakar. Senior White House adviser John Podesta, who is overseeing implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act, will also participate in a one-on-one discussion. Members of Congress making an appearance are Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and the respective chairs of the House Appropriations Committee’s subpanel for the Department of Energy and the House Science Committee’s subpanel for DOE, Reps. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN) and Brandon Williams (R-NY). Science Committee Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) will address the summit by video. A separate event, Carnegie Mellon University’s Energy Week, is also taking place this week and will feature a keynote address by National Energy Technology Lab Director Brian Anderson.
National Quantum Initiative Advisers Convening
The National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee is meeting on Friday and will hear updates from its subcommittees focused on science and infrastructure, security and international affairs, and workforce and industry. The committee was created in 2019 to oversee the interagency National Quantum Initiative and President Biden re-established it late last year, retaining its co-chairs Stanford University physicist Kathryn Ann Moler and National Quantum Coordination Office Director Charles Tahan. Among other ongoing NQI activities, the Department of Energy Office of Science is currently soliciting input from institutions of higher education on approaches to preparing students for careers in QIS, including ways the DOE national labs can support the development of the QIS workforce. Congress is also expected to revisit the 2018 law creating the initiative, which authorized activities up through the current fiscal year.
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In Case You Missed It
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| Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the company Applied Materials last October to discuss semiconductor supply chain security. (Image credit – State Department) |
State Department Rolls Out Plans for CHIPS Act Fund
The State Department announced last week how it plans to use the $500 million the CHIPS and Science Act is providing over five years for a new International Technology Security and Innovation (ITSI) Fund. ITSI-supported efforts will include activities to diversify the mining, processing, and recycling of critical mineral inputs to semiconductor production, as well as diplomatic initiatives aimed at improving the resilience and security of global semiconductor supply chains. Such initiatives will involve collaborating on export controls and licensing restrictions, coordinating policy for industrial incentives and easing supply-chain disruptions, and identifying “key regulatory and policy levers” to encourage development of chip assembly, testing, and packaging capacity in the Indo-Pacific region and the Americas. Another portion of the funding will support efforts to bolster the security and trustworthiness of telecommunications and information technology networks.
China Reorganizing R&D System in Push for ‘Self Reliance’
The Chinese government issued a plan last week for restructuring its Ministry of Science and Technology and creating a high-level commission to steer the country’s R&D system. Chinese state media outlet Xinhua stated the commission’s aim is to enhance “centralized and unified leadership over the work of science and technology,” with specific duties such as “pushing forward the building of a national innovation system and structural scientific and technological reform.” According to reporting by Reuters, the government attributed the moves to “the severe situation of international scientific and technological competition as well as external containment and suppression,” and stated it aims to more quickly achieve “scientific and technological self-reliance and self-improvement.” The U.S. government is currently leading a multilateral campaign to restrict exports of certain advanced technologies to China, such as semiconductors, and it is closely scrutinizing joint R&D efforts and cross-border investment in technology companies, arguing the country has been systematically exploiting U.S. capabilities.
NSF Watchdog Suggests Anti-Harassment Measures for Antarctica
The National Science Foundation Office of Inspector General published a white paper earlier this month recommending measures to combat the pervasive sexual harassment at Antarctic research facilities that an NSF-commissioned study documented last year. The office for instance questions whether the Antarctic station manager is the appropriate person to field sexual assault allegations and suggests NSF consider having on-site personnel who are trained in sexual assault investigations. It also recommends the agency consider implementing a “graduated reporting” system whereby personnel can report harassment without notifying law enforcement, in order to encourage more victims to seek assistance as they consider pursuing legal action. House Science Committee Chair Frank Lucas (R-OK) and Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) highlighted the white paper in a joint statement on March 17, remarking that it “raised important questions about victim resources and whether the U.S. Antarctic Program’s law enforcement needs are being sufficiently met to ensure the safety of our researchers.” They added that the committee will continue to exercise oversight on the issue, following up on a hearing it held late last year. Members from both parties questioned at the hearing whether Leidos, the contractor managing operations in Antarctica, is doing enough to remedy the situation.
ARPA–H Previews Plans for Three Regional Headquarters
The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health marked its first anniversary with several major announcements, including its first call for research proposals and new details about the structure of its headquarters. The agency intends to split its operations across three main hubs. The first will be in the Washington, D.C., metro area and will focus on stakeholder engagement and regulatory and legislative affairs. The second will be a “customer experience hub” focused on “user testing, adoption, access, and trust of ARPA–H projects.” The third will serve as an “investor catalyst” to support commercialization of new technologies and services. The agency said the hubs will have a “light footprint,” with the D.C.-area location housing between 85 and 100 employees, and that it expects to announce the locations by early fall. The agency also announced it has hired its first two program managers: Paul Sheehan, who is moving from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and oral surgeon Ross Uhrich.
DOE Solicits Proposals for Infrastructure Act Hydrogen R&D Projects
The Department of Energy announced a funding opportunity last week for R&D projects related to lowering the costs of hydrogen production methods that produce “zero or next-to-zero” carbon emissions. Cooperative agreements totaling $750 million will be awarded for periods of between two and five years to teams that may span academia, industry, and the national labs. The funding will be drawn partly from $500 million the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is providing for R&D and demonstration projects related to clean hydrogen manufacturing and recycling and partly from $1 billion the act is providing specifically for clean hydrogen electrolysis. DOE has already opened a competition that will fund between six and 10 “hubs” for producing and commercializing clean hydrogen, which will together receive $7 billion of the $8 billion the infrastructure act is appropriating for that purpose.
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Events This Week
All times are Eastern Standard Time, unless otherwise noted. Listings do not imply endorsement.
Monday, March 20
Tuesday, March 21
Carnegie Mellon University: Energy Week
(continues through Friday)
Wednesday, March 22
Thursday, March 23
Friday, March 24
Monday, March 27
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Opportunities NSF Hiring Physics Division Director
The National Science Foundation is hiring a director for the Physics Division within its Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate. Candidates should have a doctoral degree in physics or a closely related field and a history of substantial contributions to research. Applications are due May 15.
NSF Hiring Chief Officer for Research Facilities
The National Science Foundation is hiring a chief officer for research facilities, who will advise agency leaders on policy issues related to research infrastructure and oversee the construction and operations of the agency’s major and mid-scale research facilities. Candidates must have demonstrated experience managing scientific programs or facilities and an advanced degree, preferably a doctorate, in a STEM field. Applications are due April 17.
NTIA Seeks Input on National Spectrum Strategy
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration is seeking input from developers and users of spectrum-based technologies on plans for a National Spectrum Strategy. The agency is specifically seeking comments on the three proposed pillars of the strategy: creating a “spectrum pipeline” to facilitate repurposing of spectrum bands, developing a long-term spectrum planning process, and supporting new technologies for spectrum management. Comments are due April 17. NTIA also plans to collect input at listening sessions on March 30 and April 11.
Know of an upcoming science policy event either inside or outside the Beltway? Email us at fyi@aip.org.
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