FONIA FY 2024 Senate Appropriations Request

Similar to its request of the U.S. House of Representatives, Friends of NIA submitted a request to the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies in April.

Specifically, FoNIA requests:  

  • no less than $50.924 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2024 for base spending at NIH for current institutes and operations, which corresponds with the overall recommendation of the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research;
  • we ask that NIA, as a component of the NIH, receive a commensurate funding increase (7.3 percent over the FY 23 levels) in FY 2024;
  • continued funding to support the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) at NIH.  However, investment in ARPA-H should not come at the cost of the existing NIH institutes and centers conducting and supporting research on aging;
  • a minimum increase of $321 million above the final enacted amount for FY 2023 specific to research on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD).   NIA is the primary federal agency supporting and conducting Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias research.

A copy of the letter is attached.

FONIA FY2024 House Appropriations Request

Friends of NIA requested federal resources continue to be dedicated to sustaining and enhancing timely and promising aging research at NIA and across NIH as part of the FY 2024 House Appropriations process. Specifically, FoNIA requests:  

  • no less than $50.924 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2024 for base spending at NIH for current institutes and operations, which corresponds with the overall recommendation of the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research;
  • we ask that NIA ,as a component of the NIH, receive a commensurate funding increase (7.3 percent over the FY 23 levels) in FY 2024;
  • continued funding to support the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) at NIH.  However, investment in ARPA-H should not come at the cost of the existing NIH institutes and centers conducting and supporting research on aging;
  • a minimum increase of $321 million above the final enacted amount for FY 2023 specific to research on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD).   NIA is the primary federal agency supporting and conducting Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias research.

A copy of the letter is attached.

NIA Office of Legislation, Policy, and International Activities (OLPIA) Office Hours

The NIA Office of Legislation, Policy, and International Activities (OLPIA) will hold the first in a new series of virtual “OLPIA Office Hours” on Friday, May 5, from 1:00—2:00 pm ET. Each OLPIA Office Hour will open with a presentation from an NIA expert, followed by an office hour-style segment guided by your questions and interests regarding the talk or any other questions for OLPIA staff. The May 5th Office Hour will feature a presentation from Dr. Coryse St. Hillaire-Clarke, who will discuss associations between vision impairment and dementia. To register, please visit the online registration site.

NIH Releases Agency-Wide DEIA Strategic Plan

The NIH released its FYs 2023-2027 NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) on March 20. In his blog, Dr. Mark Lauer, NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research noted that the plan articulates NIH’s overarching vision to embracing, strengthening, and integrating DEIA across all NIH activities. Dr. Marie A. Bernard, NIH Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity, stated in her blog that the Strategic Plan aligns with the NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2021–2025 and the NIH UNITE initiative and responds to the Presidential Executive Order to enhance DEIA in the federal workforce. Together, these resources facilitate and accelerate sustainable organizational change throughout the biomedical and behavioral research enterprise.

NIH created a two-page overview that summarizes the content of the plan.

On April 4, 2023, NIH announced the Institutional Excellence in DEIA in Biomedical and Behavioral Research Prize Competition that aims to recognize and reward effective strategies for enhancing DEIA in research environments across the United States. NIH will award up to 10 prizes of $100,000 each through the competition. Up to half of the prizes will be set aside for consideration for limited-resourced institutions. . To participate, registration is required by Tuesday, September 12, 2023, at 5:00 pm ET. Visit the prize competition website for information about eligibility, participation, and submission requirements. Prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to attend an informational webinar for the prize competition on May 17 at 1pm ET.  For additional information visit https://www.nihdeiaprize.org/ and you may direct questions to [email protected].