From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— Clarevia Ventures Founding Partner John Neis is sounding the alarm on draft federal rules that would require research awards to get approval from political appointees.
In a recent social media post, the founder of the health-focused investment firm in Madison warned the “threat to Federally funded research has not passed,” pointing to new draft rules from the federal Office of Management and Budget.
Under the proposed rules, political appointees at scientific agencies would need to sign off on research awards, to ensure “compliance with presidential priorities,” he wrote. Neis also noted the new rules would allow for grants to be terminated based on the discretion of the federal agency.
“It says scientific peer review of research proposals ‘remains advisory and does not replace agency discretion,’” he wrote. “Let that sink in. Our successful history of using peer review to determine scientific merit for funding is being replaced with political appointees’ discretion.”
As an example of the problems this would pose, Neis said the late U.S. Sen. Bill Proxmire in 1975 targeted USDA-funded research into screwworm fly reproduction with his “Golden Fleece Award,” seeking to spotlight what he viewed as wasted taxpayer dollars.
“The scientists doing this work were mapping biological mating habits, leading directly to a sterile-male release technique that eradicated the pest and saved the global cattle industry billions,” Neis wrote. “He didn’t understand the importance of the work. Scientists did.”
He’s calling for those who share his concerns to issue comments on the draft rules during a 45-day listening period, as well as contacting members of Congress directly.
“They aren’t required to listen, but when the response is overwhelming it gets political attention and there is a history of them backing down,” he wrote.
— The blood health organization Versiti has announced Dr. Jorge Di Paola as its new executive vice president and chief scientific officer.
Starting in October, the researcher and physician will take over leadership of the Versiti Blood Research Institute while also serving as associate dean of research and professor of pediatrics at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Di Paola, who’s currently a professor at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has also served as an adjunct investigator for the VBRI since 2018. He’s worked with other scientists at the institute on various research projects, including studies of blood disorders.
“I have had the opportunity to collaborate with extraordinary investigators across the VBRI and witness firsthand the institute’s growth, scientific rigor, and commitment to advancing blood health,” he said in a statement.
See the release below.
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