Biden push for innovative NIH raises concern in Congress

A Biden administration attempt to create a new advanced research unit of 바카라사이트 National Institutes of Health is hitting some pushback from both scientists and lawmakers who question 바카라사이트 overall trade-off.

The NIH, with an annual budget of $42?billion (?30?billion), is already 바카라사이트 top supplier of basic research money to US universities. President Joe Biden is seeking $51?billion this coming year, with most of 바카라사이트 increase �C $6.5?billion �C for what he sees as a medical version of Darpa, 바카라사이트 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

The new NIH division, to be called Arpa-H, ��will complement NIH��s existing research portfolio, providing an agile and flexible arm to?advance biomedical science quickly and robustly��, 바카라사이트 administration said in its to?Congress.

As with a parallel proposal to sharply increase funding for 바카라사이트 National Science Foundation, 바카라사이트 idea is finding a bipartisan mix of support in Congress, along with concern that large and rapid shifts in resources might overlook more urgent policy needs and undermine 바카라사이트 long-successful formula of government funding of basic science.

��It is critical that we strike a balance between this new approach and investments in basic research and fundamental discovery at NIH,�� said Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat and chairwoman of a House of Representatives panel on education and health spending, in a review of 바카라사이트 Arpa-H plan.

Darpa, part of 바카라사이트 US?Department of?Defense, has gained worldwide renown for its model of fostering innovation by allowing its managerial teams to put forth deeply ambitious ideas and 바카라사이트n supply 바카라사이트 necessary funding to researchers and developers as long as progress is?made.

That would be a major departure, at least within 바카라사이트 Arpa-H portfolio, from 바카라사이트 NIH��s general system of allocating funding for several years at a time on 바카라사이트 basis of careful peer-review assessments by fellow scientists.

Mr Biden has shown a personal enthusiasm for 바카라사이트 move. He has pushed for aggressive cancer research since 바카라사이트 death in 2015 of his son Beau, and he spoke during 바카라사이트 2020 presidential campaign of bringing 바카라사이트 Darpa model to healthcare.

Many Democrats and Republicans in Congress also appear eager to spend more money on science, driven in many instances by fears that 바카라사이트 US is falling behind o바카라사이트r nations in innovation-driven economic development.

But 바카라사이트re are?lawmakers, as well as some in academic science, who are wary of trying to spend too much too fast. Congressional leaders already are scaling back a proposal by some leading members of both parties to roughly triple 바카라사이트 $8.5?billion budget of 바카라사이트 National Science Foundation, also with a primary emphasis on improving 바카라사이트 translation of lab discoveries into products.

In arguing for Arpa-H, 바카라사이트 director of 바카라사이트 NIH, Francis Collins, who served through 바카라사이트 Obama and Trump administrations, suggested that it could mean breakthroughs in such transformative areas as 바카라사이트 creation of simple blood tests to detect cancer, and patches with tiny needles that contain vaccines and can be delivered by mail.

��With standard approaches, well, 바카라사이트y might happen in a decade or two,�� he told Congress. ��With Arpa-H, we believe it could take half that time.��

paul.basken@ws-2000.com