August has been a busy month for the National Science Foundation (NSF). The agency announced new funding opportunities of interest to FABBS members, Strengthening the Evidence Base Related to Broadening the Participation of LGBTQI+ Individuals in STEM and Exploring the Ethics and Societal Interactions of Climate Intervention. NSF also shared additional information about the implications of cuts, passed back in March, to the agency in the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) budget.
On August 5, NSF released a dear colleague letter (DCL): Strengthening the Evidence Base Related to Broadening the Participation of LGBTQI+ Individuals in STEM which demonstrates the NSF commitment to develop a science and engineering workforce that benefits from the full range of talents across our country. The DCL invites four types of proposals:
- Collection and analysis of new and/or existing data, meta-syntheses, meta-analyses and/or structured literature reviews.
- Design and deliver new conferences or workshops focused on research that advances education and workforce development activities related to building and/or applying the evidence base related to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI).
- Support participation in existing or planned aligned meetings or conferences.
- Activities to increase access, engagement, inclusion, and/or belonging in STEM research, workforce development, and education.
NSF is currently soliciting proposals for ‘Exploring the Ethics and Societal Interactions of Climate Intervention.’ A series of workshops from October – November 2024 which will consider research directions of climate intervention: its risks, impacts, and successes, best practices of governance and ethics, and where we need to know more.
NSF is looking for social scientists, ethicists, natural and life scientists, and engineers to join the conversation on shaping the governance framework around climate change. New technologies may offer intriguing and exciting approaches to mitigate climate change, however, they can result in unintended environmental and societal consequences that require an interdisciplinary approach, weighing the risks of implementation versus the risks of inaction. Applications are due August 23,
Following several months of likely difficult deliberations, NSF provided updates on how the agency would manage budget cuts for FY24 signed into law on March 9. The “Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024” (Public Law 118-42) provides $9 billion for NSF, a decrease of $479 million, or 5 percent, below the FY23 base appropriation. The Research and Related Activities budget appears to absorb a 9 percent cut with the Social, Behavioral and Economic Directorate, the smallest of all research directorates being cut from $313 million in 2023 to $290 million in FY24. FABBS attended an event at the White House earlier this month to both celebrate the second-year anniversary of the CHIPS and Science Act and to strategize with the broad science community how to ensure strong funding for NSF in FY25.
