Until recently, the Board on International Scientific Organizations (BISO) of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) managed 18 disciplinary boards representing the U.S. in international scientific unions. NAS’s management was made possible by support from the National Science Foundation (NSF). NSF is currently revisiting funding for these activities, including for the United States National Committee (USNC) to represent the U.S. in the International Union for Psychological Science (IUPsyS), of which FABBS is an ex officio member.
BISO was established to “strengthen U.S. leadership in global science by connecting American researchers, institutions, and priorities to the world’s most influential scientific organizations. Through coordination with the International Science Council, international scientific unions, and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, BISO fosters collaboration, advances solutions-driven research, and ensures U.S. expertise helps shape science for the benefit of society.” It is unclear why NSF is reevaluating U.S. engagement in these international scientific unions. Theories include the financial uncertainty of federal funding for science, a new U.S. trend towards isolationism, the reorganization of both NSF and NAS, or a combination of all of these considerable changes to our scientific ecosystem.
Based on consultation with colleagues in other disciplines, each disciplinary board is working independently to determine next steps and awaiting the details of future support — for example, might NSF continue to cover Union dues? If NSF will no longer fund NAS to run these committees, which organizations might step up to serve these roles? All boards are preparing for significant decreases in NSF support.
FABBS has heard widespread concerns about the U.S. isolating itself from international scientific collaboration. We are committed to being a good partner as the psychological science community learns more about what will be required to maintain a designated body representing the U.S. in international psychological science.
