Senate bill gives ‘have-not’ states a big boost

doi:10.1126/science.373.6552.267

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DOI	10.1126/science.373.6552.267
	Senate bill gives ‘have-not’ states a big boost
	Jeffrey Mervis
	2021-07-16
发表期刊	Science
出版年	2021
英文摘要	The National Science Foundation's (NSF's) well-regarded system for awarding research grants has resulted in a staggering geographic imbalance. The top five states—California, Massachusetts, New York, Texas, and Maryland—garner nearly 40% of the total grant funding from the agency, whereas the bottom five—Vermont, West Virginia, North and South Dakota, and Wyoming—together receive less than 1%. Now, a battle is brewing in Congress over how to fix that problem without tarnishing NSF's reputation for excellence. Last month, the U.S. Senate approved legislation that would require NSF to spend 20% of its budget on the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), which steers funding to the 28 jurisdictions—25 states and three territories (see map, right)—that fare worst in NSF's grants competition. That would make EPSCoR NSF's largest initiative, with an annual budget of roughly $2 billion, up from $200 million now. The idea delights some research advocates. “Your ZIP code shouldn't determine your access to a high-quality research experience,” says Jessica Molesworth, who leads an advocacy coalition representing EPSCoR jurisdictions. “Devoting 20% of NSF funding [to EPSCoR] is an appropriate target for addressing the glaring disparity … between the haves and have-nots,” adds David Shaw, provost at Mississippi State University and a coalition board member. But others are wary of dramatically expanding EPSCoR, fearing its growth could distort the rest of NSF's research portfolio. They favor a bill the House of Representatives passed last month. Instead of expanding EPSCoR, it would authorize $250 million a year for two new competitive programs. One would build research capacity at any institution outside the top 100 recipients of federal research dollars; the other would support colleges and universities that educate large numbers of minority students. Neither program would be limited to institutions in EPSCoR states. “The House bill emphasizes inclusion and outreach, while the Senate is very prescriptive,” says Neal Lane, a former NSF director and emeritus professor at Rice University. “I'm worried that, if you move too fast, you can break things that are working. I'd rather see Congress tell NSF it wants to see more geographical diversity, and then let NSF figure out how to get there.” At the urging of Congress, NSF launched EPSCoR in 1979 with $1 million spread across seven states at the bottom of the funding ladder. The current rules allow institutions in any state or territory that receives less than 0.75% of NSF's research budget to compete for an array of EPSCoR programs. The hope is that such capacity building will eventually pay off by making those institutions more competitive in NSF's regular initiatives—perhaps even allowing a state to “graduate” from EPSCoR. But that's tough given NSF's overall one-in-four success rate for proposals. The agency acknowledged that reality a few years ago by changing the “E” in the program's name from “experimental” to “established.” Six other federal agencies operate programs similar to EPSCoR; the largest is the $397-million-a-year Institutional Development Award (IDeA) program that the National Institutes of Health launched in 1993. ![Figure][1] GRAPHIC: EPSCOR/IDEA FOUNDATION, ADAPTED BY N. DESAI/ SCIENCE The Senate's push to expand EPSCoR at NSF is led by Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker, the top Republican on the Senate's science panel and its former chair. The plan is tucked into the 2400-page U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (S. 1260), which calls for more than doubling NSF's budget over 5 years, to $21.3 billion in 2026, and establishing a new NSF technology directorate. EPSCoR's budget would grow to $4.3 billion by 2026. The bill would also expand a $25 million EPSCoR program at the Department of Energy by giving it 20% of an additional $17 billion in research funds the bill authorizes over 5 years. Such growth would help have-not institutions compete more effectively and serve NSF's goal of improving equity in science, EPSCoR advocates say. For example, the 28 EPSCoR jurisdictions are home to 45% of the nation's historically Black colleges, Molesworth notes. “Talent is everywhere. … But we lose many of our most talented students to universities in non-EPSCoR states,” says Prakash Nagarkatti, vice president for research at the University of South Carolina and chair of the EPSCoR/IDeA coalition. The House bill (H.R. 2225) offers a different vision. The two new programs it prescribes would give NSF “more tools in its toolkit” to improve the geographic diversity of its funding, says a Democratic staff member of the House science committee, which crafted the legislation. Instead of using political boundaries to define have-not institutions, the programs would be open to any school that lacks the capacity to compete successfully for NSF dollars. Lane favors the House's approach. “As a former NSF director, I don't like the idea of fencing off money,” he says. “It can cause the agency to miss other opportunities. But even more importantly, Congress doesn't know how to do this. NSF has a much better shot at getting it right.” House and Senate lawmakers are expected to debate their different approaches to EPSCoR in coming months, as they attempt to finalize a much larger bill aimed at improving U.S. competitiveness. In the meantime, NSF has begun to solicit ideas for improving EPSCoR—an exercise launched before the House and Senate passed their bills. [1]: pending:yes
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推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Jeffrey Mervis. Senate bill gives ‘have-not’ states a big boost[J]. Science,2021.
APA	Jeffrey Mervis.(2021).Senate bill gives ‘have-not’ states a big boost.Science.
MLA	Jeffrey Mervis."Senate bill gives ‘have-not’ states a big boost".Science (2021).