The ISSCR Joins Letter Expressing Concerns Regarding Executive Order on Federal Grantmaking

The ISSCR joined more than 50 scientific societies to send a letter to U.S. congressional leaders expressing concerns over provisions in the recent Executive Order (EO) titled “Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking.” The letter details how E.O. provisions threaten the long-standing merit-based peer review system that has been the gold standard for supporting cutting-edge research and driving technological innovation. Provisions the letter highlights include those on shifting the review and selection of research awards to political appointees, expansion of “termination for convenience” authority over awarded grants, vague language regarding repeat grant recipients, and the prioritization of institutions with the lowest indirect cost rates. The letter urges Congress to provide necessary oversight at scientific agencies to prevent potentially significant damage to the federal scientific grantmaking process.

Read the letter.