Why Funding for Research Matters
By Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson
As the world and our Nation face the challenge of responding to the unprecedented and devastating impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19), Congress’ most recent response, the historic, bipartisan coronavirus legislation, was an important step towards addressing this crisis. It is imperative that emergency workers, American citizens, and our businesses—both large and small–have resources to help fight this pandemic and help stop the economic damage it’s causing. However, this bill addresses the crisis in another significant way that has not received much attention, it includes support for research activities that will be critical to finding effective treatments for COVID-19.
Over the past century, innovation has proven to be an essential element of our efforts to successfully respond to medical crises. That is why as Chairwoman of House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, it was a priority of mine to ensure that this legislation included supplemental funding for our Federal research agencies. These resources will help the U.S. science and technology enterprise find innovative solutions to stop the spread of this virus and find a vaccine, provide assistance to those already infected or on the front lines, and hopefully prevent pandemics like this in the future.
The Department of Energy is probably not the first name you think of when you consider agencies that may help us identify life-saving treatment to diseases. However, the Department’s expertise and unique research facilities, such as high-end computing capabilities and biological research facilities, have already been actively engaged in expanding our understanding of COVID-19 and finding ways to stop it.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) supports foundational research across all fields of science and engineering. Many of today’s medical diagnostic and therapeutic innovations would not have been possible without the basic research discoveries resulting from past NSF funding. Today’s public health crisis is no exception. NSF is well positioned to support fast-tracked research grants to improve understanding of the COVID-19 virus, model the spread of the virus, and provide the basis for effective responses at the national, State and local levels.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the world’s leading expert in measurement science, is poised to help ensure the validity and reliability of tests for the virus. In addition, through its support for innovation in advanced manufacturing, and especially through its support for the National Institute of Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals, NIST will use the funding in the stimulus to work with drug makers and university partners to accelerate efforts to manufacture new therapeutics and vaccines at scale once viable candidates emerge from clinical trials.
Additionally, this bill will keep Americans safe and informed by maintaining the National Weather Service’s operations without interruption, providing funding to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Science and Technology Account to research methods to reduce the risk from the environmental transmission of coronavirus by means of contaminated surfaces or materials, and most importantly, providing $100
Million for the purchase of personal protective equipment through the fire grants program.
I was also particularly proud to hear that three grants have been awarded by Health and Human Services to three institutions in the 30th Congressional district of our state: UT Southwestern Medical Center, Mission East Dallas and Metroplex Project, and Martin Luther King Jr Family Clinic. I look forward to seeing the good work that will come from them.
This supplemental funding for our research agencies included in the CARES Act is integral to combatting this virus and will help American citizens get through this public health crisis and hopefully help prevent crises like this in the future. I want to thank my colleagues who supported including funding for our research agencies and who came together to pass this bill. We have more to do, but this was an important step forward in defeating COVID-19.
