NIH Issues Forceful Statement on Harassment
BU IN DC
Jeffrey Murphy of Alumni Relations spoke about developing a strong professional network at a workshop for Washington-area alumni on February 27.
NIH ISSUES FORCEFUL STATEMENT ON HARASSMENT
Addressing victims of sexual harassment in the academic community, senior leaders at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued a statement Thursday saying, “We are concerned that NIH has been part of the problem. We are determined to become part of the solution.” The agency disclosed the number of researchers it has investigated for “sexual harassment-related concerns,” reiterated that grantees are required to inform the agency when key personnel on an NIH grant award have been removed due to harassment allegations, and announced a new email address for reporting harassment concerns to NIH. An NIH working group on “Changing the Culture to End Sexual Harassment” is expected to recommend further NIH action this summer.
HEARING FOCUSES ON CHINA’S IMPACT ON U.S. EDUCATION
On Thursday, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations held a hearing on China’s impact on the U.S. education system. Senators released a bipartisan report stating that 70% of schools that received more than $250,000 for a China-sponsored Confucius Institute failed to properly report the foreign gift to the U.S. Department of Education (ED). While Subcommittee Chairman Rob Portman (R-OH) said he wants “China to be a strategic partner as well as a strategic competitor,” he urged ED to update its guidance on foreign gift reporting and asked the State Department to increase its review of visas associated with Institute personnel.
GRANTS NEWS YOU CAN USE
The Army Research Office and National Security Agency released a broad agency announcement for the fiscal year 2019 Department of Defense (DOD) Advanced Computing Initiative, which seeks to strengthen DOD’s intellectual capital in computing systems research. DOD is seeking innovative proposals to address four research thrusts: Novel Methods of Computing, Hardware and Software Systems Components, Exploration of System Concepts, and Algorithms and Architectures. Interested applicants are required to submit a two-page concept paper by March 25, and will be notified by April 25 whether they have been selected to submit a full proposal or a short-term proposal for a smaller award.