NAEVR/AEVR News
NAEVR/AEVR Detail Research Relief Efforts in Spring/Summer 2020 Contributor Report
As detailed in the Contributor Report, NAEVR has been advocating with its medical research advocacy partners for science agency research relief, especially at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as a result of COVID-19 lab shutdowns.
With respect to research relief in congressional supplemental funding, to-date the House HEROES Act (H.R. 6800), essentially its fifth supplemental passed in May, would provide $3 billion to “offset costs related to reductions in lab productivity,” while the Senate’s draft HEALS Act, its fifth supplemental, has been stalled in negotiations but includes $10.1 billion to offset lab productivity reduction. Although those two bills differ significantly (and the Senate bill likely to change during further negotiations), a supplemental reflects the best short-term chance for research relief. Why? Because, although the House has passed its FY2021 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education funding bill as part of a six bill minibus in late July (H.R. 7617) with $5 billion in emergency funds to cover, in part, “support for current grantees to cover the shutdown costs and start-up costs,” the Senate has not issued any of its FY2021 spending bills (expected in September), increasing the likelihood that Congress will need to pass a Continuing Resolution to fund the government when fiscal year 2021 begins on Oct. 1. That Continuing Resolution or series of CRs may last until late 2020 or even into Quarter 1 2021 before FY2021 is finalized.
AEVR Announces A Virtual Sixth Annual Emerging Vision Scientists (EVS) Day
As detailed in the Contributor Report front page box, AEVR plans a virtual EVS Day, with 22 early-stage vision investigators providing videos of their research and discussing the impact of the COVID-19 lab shutdown on their research and career pathways. The activities begin with a virtual AEVR International AMD Awareness Week Congressional Briefing focusing on Artificial Intelligence in Retinal Diseases. AEVR will post further details on the website.