President Donald Trump has signed a bipartisan spending package for fiscal year (FY) 2018 to keep the federal government open until September 30. In this final spending bill, Congress rejected many of the cuts and program eliminations proposed by the Administration in its FY18 budget request and instead provided increases to federal investments in scientific research, education, student aid, and healthcare programs. This spending bill means a great deal to the University of Rochester and other research universities around the country.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Energy, and Department of Defense all received funding increases as federally sponsored research agencies. These agencies are essential partners with the University of Rochester to pioneer innovation in areas such as biomedical research, optics, photonics and imaging. The bill includes a $3 billion increase for the NIH (8 percent increase); a $868 million increase (15 percent) for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science; a $295 million increase (3.9 percent) for NSF; as well as an increase in the Pell Grant program, which assists students in obtaining a bachelor’s degree.
Importantly, the bill also provides $75 million for the University’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics, a $7 million increase from FY17.
“This important funding package makes key investments in the people, research, and education here at the University of Rochester. It recognizes the critical role that America’s research universities play in our global economy,” said University President Richard Feldman. “The $75 million investment in the LLE and its nationwide network of scientists who come to Rochester to perform high energy density physics research is especially significant, and we are grateful for the support from our Congressional delegation, especially the late Louise Slaughter, and for their advocacy on behalf of this critical research center.”
“This funding makes a profound statement that the United States is committed to the nation’s research program and values science at all levels, including educating future generations of scientists,” said Rob Clark, University provost and senior vice president for research. “With this federal support, research universities like ours will continue to have a direct impact on improving human health and well-being, job creation through innovation, national and economic security, and our country’s scientific leadership.
“This bill maintains essential federal support for biomedical research and education missions of our medical center,” said Mark Taubman, CEO of the University of Rochester Medical Center and dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry (SMD). “We have faced uncertainty about funding, and it is gratifying to see a strong statement of support from Congress for the critical work done by academic medical centers across the country.”
Over the past five years alone, the University has attracted nearly $1.8 billion in sponsored research funding to the region which, in turn, has translated into new discoveries, technologies, jobs, and companies.
“The National Institutes of Health is the main funder of basic science research in the U.S., and many of the biggest breakthroughs in health and medicine begin in laboratories that study fundamental molecular mechanisms,” said Steve Dewhurst, vice dean for research at SMD.
Dewhurst points to the gene editing technology CRISPR/Cas9 as a great example of a discovery that came from investment in basic research. Identified through the study of bacterial genomics, CRISPR has rapidly led to a revolution in gene engineering that is being led by NIH-funded researchers, and that will undoubtedly pay dividends in the form of new treatments for a wide range of genetic disorders.
“One of the most exciting—and challenging—parts of research is the fact that we don’t know when or where the next major advance will come from,” said Dewhurst, who is also the chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at SMD. “Many of the most important findings are serendipitous, and it is only through strong support from the NIH that discoveries like these happen.”
