The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the world’s largest funder of biomedical research, announced a policy on 1 May banning scientists from directing its funding to international research partners, according to Nature.
culture & policy
Posted inResearch & Developments
NSF Stops New and Existing Grants
The National Science Foundation (NSF), one of the world’s leading funders of basic research, will “stop awarding all funding actions,” including awarding new grants and disbursing funds for existing grants, according to Nature.
Staff at NSF were told of the policy change in a 30 April email. The email did not give a reason for the funding freeze and did not say whether or when the agency would resume awarding funding.
Posted inResearch & Developments
EPA to Cancel Nearly 800 Environmental Justice Grants
The EPA plans to cancel 781 grants, almost all focused on environmental justice, according to a court document filed last week.
In Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council v. Department of Agriculture, a coalition of nonprofits is challenging the Trump administration’s freezing of funding from the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In the recent court document, Daniel Coogan, an administrator in the Office of Mission Support for the EPA, stated that the agency completed a grant-by-grant review of its awards to ensure that grants aligned with administration priorities. Those that were not aligned were targeted for termination.
Posted inResearch & Developments
Mexico Will Give U.S. More Water to Avert More Tariffs
Mexican and U.S. officials announced that Mexico will immediately transfer some of its water reserves to the United States and also allow a larger share of the Rio Grande River to flow into the United States.
Posted inFeatures
Delegations Drive One Water Dialogues
Proactive approaches allow water practitioners to address issues in innovative, inclusive ways.
Posted inResearch & Developments
NOAA Datasets Will Soon Disappear
NOAA has quietly reported that they will soon decommission 14 datasets, products, and catalogs related to earthquakes and marine, coastal, and estuary science.
Posted inNews
For Climate and Livelihoods, Africa Bets Big on Solar Mini-Grids
Nigeria is pioneering the development of small, off-grid solar panel installations to bring reliable electricity to remote communities—setting a model for other African countries.
Posted inResearch & Developments
NASA Science Faces an “Extinction-Level Event” with Trump Draft Budget Proposal
The initial draft of President Donald Trump’s budget request proposes devastating cuts to NASA’s science research, future space missions, and field centers.
Posted inNews
Tea Leaves Remove Lead from Water
Surface and chemical properties of tea leaves may help explain the correlation between tea consumption and lower incidences of heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke.
Posted inResearch & Developments
Trump Administration Moves to Weaken PFAS Rules
President Donald Trump’s EPA is considering a rule that would weaken regulations limiting chemicals harmful to human health in consumer goods, The Guardian reports.
Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are a group of chemicals added to consumer products, oftentimes for their water- and stain-resistant properties. Exposure to PFAS is known to raise the risk of certain cancers, kidney and liver disease, and complications surrounding reproductive health. The chemicals are omnipresent in everyday life and contaminate drinking water across the United States.