News
NIH; Defense Research; Limited Submissions
BU IN DC
Julie Wickstrom of Enrollment & Student Administration attended the Higher Education Loan Coalition Board of Directors Meeting and spoke with Congressional offices about student aid policy from May 18th to May 20th.
Thomas Perls of the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine spoke with Washington-area BU alumni about the New England Centenarian Study at an event hosted by BU Advancement on May 20th.
LAWMAKERS QUESTION NIH DIRECTOR ABOUT BUDGET, OPERATIONS
On Thursday, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya testified before a subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee on the Trump Administration's budget request. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) revealed that the acting head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) "stepped down from his position" and expressed concern about reports that other top officials at NIAID were "reassigned and forced out of their positions." Democrats questioned the Director about the Trump Administration's cancellation of contracts to support mRNA vaccine research and its proposal to close the NIH Fogarty International Center, particularly in light of the current Ebola outbreak. Senators also shared their support for NIH investment in early-career investigators.
BUZZ BITS...
- The Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing on science and technology priorities in the fiscal year 2028 Department of Defense budget on Tuesday. Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Emil Michael acknowledged the Trump Administration's recommendation to reduce support for basic research, while highlighting the Pentagon's interest in applied AI, biomanufacturing, quantum information science, and scaled hypersonics.
- A subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee approved a spending bill for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) that would provide each agency with $135 million in fiscal year 2027, rejecting the Trump Administration's recommendation to close the NEA and NEH. The Senate has not yet released its version of the arts and humanities spending bill.
- Last week, House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) released a report examining the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) approach to research security. The report asserts that NASA is not abiding by the Wolf amendment, which "prohibits NASA-funded bilateral research and activities with China" and offers 13 policy recommendations for Congress, the Trump Administration, and universities.
GRANT NEWS YOU CAN USE
The Office of Research Development has recently updated its website and internal process for limited submission opportunities (LSOs), which are funding opportunities that restrict the number of proposals an institution may submit. Most LSOs follow a 12-16 week process from the internal announcement to the funder deadline, in which BU releases an internal competition announcement, reviews internal applications, and notifies candidates selected to prepare an application. An expedited “short fuse” process lasting 4-6 weeks will be used for funding opportunities with shorter timelines. Faculty and staff can review updated guidelines and frequently asked questions on the LSO website. A new weekly LSO Digest is sent out every Tuesday to subscribers within the BU community.
A Note To Our Readers: Due to the Congressional District Work Period, Beltway BUzz will temporarily pause publication. In the meantime, be sure to visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn.
How Worried Should We Be About the Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak?
Boston University researchers are helping track disease’s spread and preparing to test new treatments.
Measles, Cholera, and Mpox: BU-Based Outbreak Tracker Monitors World’s Most Dangerous Infectious Diseases
In its first year, BEACON has helped direct public health responses globally, monitoring 181 pathogens in 169 countries—and 1 in space.
Opioid Crisis, Polarization, Pomelos
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT
How the Legal Opium Market Shaped Global Trade—and Led to an Opioid Crisis
BU historian Benjamin R. Siegel charts opium from a commodity in colonial India to fuel for a drug crisis in modern-day America.
FACULTY EXPERT
BU Scholar Studies How Online Images Feed Polarization
BU Professor Ayse Lokmanoglu aims to help people think more critically about internet content, especially during politically charged moments.
STUDENT LIFE
Could This King-Size Citrus Fruit Inspire a Better Mobile Phone Case?
Boston University engineers, with support from the US Navy, are studying the pomelo’s remarkable shock absorbency—including by throwing it off a campus roof.
THOUGHT LEADERS
In Case You Missed It...
BU celebrated our 2026 Commencement... BU biomedical engineer Wilson Wongis BU's Innovator of the Year... The Washington Post interviews Nahid Bhadelia of the BU Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases on the hantavirus response... Mary Churchill, Stephanie M. Curenton, and Anthony Abraham Jack of BU Wheelock College of Education & Human Development describe how their Head Start experiences shaped their lives in blackpressUSA... BU economist Laurence Kotlikoff talks to CBS News about the limitations of AI and retirement planning... Emma Wiles of BU Questrom School of Business explains why AI agents shouldn't be treated like employees to Harvard Business Review.
Boston University–Trained High Schoolers Educate Lawmakers About Taxing Alcohol
SPH’s David Jernigan leads initiative that shows young activists how to speak publicly about causes.
Boston University Celebrates the Class of 2026 at 153rd Commencement
Approximately 20,000 guests gathered on a hot, sunny Nickerson Field to honor this year’s graduates.
DOE Science; NIH Changes; McMahon
BU IN DC
Kevin Outterson of CARB-X met with Congressional offices to discuss antimicrobial resistance on May 11th.
Brian Walsh of the College of Engineering talked with Congressional staff about federal investment in space weather research as part of the Heliophysics Coalition's Capitol Hill fly-in on May 12th.
John Connor of the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories discussed federal support for National Biocontainment Labs with Congressional offices on May 13th and 14th.
BUZZ BITS...
- The House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee released a draft spending bill yesterday that would increase the Department of Energy Office of Science budget by 1.5% and decrease the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) budget by 10% in fiscal year 2027. The measure will be considered by the House Appropriations Committee next week. The Senate has not yet released a proposed energy spending bill.
- On Tuesday, Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) led a letter from 25 Senators requesting that President Donald J. Trump and Acting Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Brian Stone answer questions about the dismissal of the National Science Board. The letter highlights the challenges NSF faces without a governing board, permanent director, and deputy director, and with a significantly reduced number of staff.
- The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee and the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee have each passed a version of the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act, which would continue the National Quantum Initiative until 2032. A compromise bill will need to be approved by both chambers of Congress before the bill can be signed into law.
GRANT NEWS YOU CAN USE
Advisory councils across the National Institutes of Health (NIH) convened earlier this year for their first round of meetings to discuss agency-wide issues and Institute- and Center-specific priorities. Several of the Councils covered similar themes, including NIH’s Unified Funding Strategy, the effects of the fall 2025 government shutdown, changes to peer review, and efforts to streamline administrative processes. Councils also weighed in on the NIH's scientific priorities, such as scientific rigor and reproducibility, artificial intelligence, and human-based research models. Notable concept clearances that were approved can be found here
LAWMAKERS QUESTION MCMAHON ON GRADUATE LOANS
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon testified before the House Education and Workforce Committee on Thursday regarding the President's Budget Request, which recommends a 2.9% reduction in the Department of Education's (ED) budget. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle criticized ED's decision to subject graduate students in nursing, teacher preparation, and social work programs to lower federal loan limits starting in July 2026. They also expressed bipartisan support for TRIO college preparatory programs, which the Trump Administration has proposed to eliminate. Committee members did demonstrate partisan differences: Republicans praised ED's efforts to detect student aid fraud by expanding identification requirements, while Democrats criticized staffing reductions at ED's Office of Civil Rights.