Research America

RESEARCH!AMERICA ADVOCATES FOR SCIENCE, DISCOVERY, AND INNOVATION TO ACHIEVE BETTER HEALTH FOR ALL. RESEARCH!AMERICA ADVOCATES FOR FEDERAL FUNDING FOR SCIENCE AND HEALTH RESEARCH THAT KEEPS PACE WITH SCIENTIFIC OPPORTUNITY. WE ADVOCATE FOR A LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATORY CLIMATE THAT STIMULATES GROWTH IN PRIVATE SECTOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.

ADVOCATING FOR SCIENCE, DISCOVERY, AND INNOVATION TO ACHIEVE BETTER HEALTH FOR ALL: IN 2021, RESEARCH!AMERICA, ALONG WITH OUR MORE THAN 350 ALLIANCE MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS, WORKED TO ADVANCE FUNDING AND POLICY PRIORITIES AIMED AT SPEEDING MEDICAL PROGRESS, STRENGTHENING OUR NATION'S PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM, AND ASSURING OUR NATION SUSTAINS ITS VITAL STANDING AS THE GLOBAL LEADER IN SCIENCE AND INNOVATION. IN 2021, RESEARCH!AMERICA FOCUSED ON DELVING DEEPLY INTO THE RAPID-PACE MEDICAL DISCOVERY DEPLOYED IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19 AND APPLYING THAT MOMENTUM TO OTHER HEALTH THREATS. TO HELP KEEP MEMBERS INFORMED IN REAL TIME, RESEARCH!AMERICA HELD 47 ALLIANCE MEMBER MEETINGS FEATURING EXCEPTIONAL LEADERS FROM GOVERNMENT, ACADEMIA, AND INDUSTRY ON TIMELY TOPICS, SUCH AS PANDEMIC FORECASTING MISINFORMATION AND DISINFORMATION, OPIOID ABUSE. COMBATING HEALTH DISPARITIES AND FDA REGULATORY POLICY. RESEARCH!AMERICA ADVOCATED TOGETHER FOR INCREASED FEDERAL FUNDING FOR THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH), CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION (CDC), FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA), NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF), THE AGENCY FOR HEALTHCARE RESEARCH AND QUALITY (AHRQ) AND BUILT MOMENTUM TO STAND UP ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY FOR HEALTH (ARPA-H), THE PROPOSED INCUBATOR FOR HIGH RISK, HIGH REWARD TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE. INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS LIKE ARPA-H ARE THE KINDS OF BIG THINKING NECESSARY TO ADDRESS FUTURE CHALLENGES. RESEARCH!AMERICA CONDUCTED 95 CONGRESSIONAL MEETINGS; PROVIDED CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY FOCUSED ON NIH, CDC, NSF, FDA, AND AHRQ; AND AUTHORED 59 LETTERS, INCLUDING AN ORGANIZATIONAL SIGN-ON LETTER WITH 208 SIGNATORIES TO CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP. LATE IN THE YEAR, RESEARCH!AMERICA ACCEPTED THE INVITATION TO APPLY FOR GRANT FUNDING TO INTEGRATE GLOBAL HEALTH R&D ADVOCACY IN THE ORGANIZATION'S ADVOCACY AGENDA. THE EFFORT WAS SUCCESSFUL WITH INITIAL START-UP THE GLOBAL HEALTH R&D ADVOCACY PROJECT INITIATED IN THE 4TH QUARTER

SCIENCE OUTREACH AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT: RESEARCH!AMERICA INCREASED ITS COMMITMENT TO SUPPORTING EARLY CAREER SCIENTISTS BY HOSTING ITS FIRST EARLY CAREER SUMMIT. THE TREMENDOUS ENTHUSIASM VOICED BY YOUNG RESEARCHERS FOR BUILDING ON THEIR EXISTING ACCOMPLISHMENTS, AND LEARNING AND SHARING NEW SKILLS, WAS INSPIRING. RESEARCH!AMERICA ALSO OFFERED MICROGRANTS FOR GRADUATE-LEVEL SCIENCE POLICY AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVES FOR A THIRD YEAR. THERE WAS A 50% INCREASE IN APPLICANTS AND 20 DYNAMIC PROJECTS HAVE BEEN FUNDED ACROSS THE COUNTRY. RESEARCH!AMERICA CONTINUES TO COORDINATE AND SUPPORT THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ACTION COMMITTEE, AN INITIATIVE THAT HAS BROUGHT A DIVERSITY OF THOUGHT LEADERS TOGETHER TO MAKE THE CASE FOR A FAR BOLDER APPROACH TO BOLSTERING THE NATION'S R&D CAPACITY, INCLUDING SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASING THE PERCENTAGE OF THE GDP DEVOTED TO SCIENCE INVESTMENT

NATIONAL HEALTH RESEARCH FORUM: RESEARCH!AMERICA HOSTED THE THREE-DAY NATIONAL HEALTH RESEARCH FORUM VIRTUALLY, FOCUSING ON DEFINING A PATH THROUGH AND BEYOND THE PANDEMIC. THE FORUM ATTRACTED AN AUDIENCE OF MORE THAN 1,300 AND FEATURED NEARLY 100 SPEAKERS, INCLUDING MORE THAN 20 SITTING AND FORMER FEDERAL OFFICIALS. RESEARCH!AMERICA WAS MENTIONED IN OVER 400 NEWS ARTICLES, AND COVERAGE OF SOME OF THE LIVE CONVERSATIONS MADE GLOBAL NEWS

PARTNER PROGRAMS: RESEARCH!AMERICA PARTNERED WITH THE LASKER FOUNDATION ON A REPORT HIGHLIGHTING THE IMPACT OF RESEARCH ON 60 DISEASES AND CONDITIONS. IT SHOWS HOW MEDICAL RESEARCH HAS RADICALLY TRANSFORMED OUTCOMES AND SURVIVAL RATES FOR ISSUES LIKE CHILDHOOD LEUKEMIA AND HIV. THE REPORT SERVES AS A POWERFUL RESOURCE TO ADVOCATE FOR RESEARCH INVESTMENT. RESEARCH!AMERICA CONVENED A ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION ON CLINICAL TRIALS DIVERSITY, SHARING INSIGHTS WITH NIH, AND SETTING THE STAGE FOR A HIGH-LEVEL CONSENSUS CONFERENCE. RESEARCH!AMERICA CONTINUED TO KEEP A FINGER ON THE PULSE OF PUBLIC OPINION WITH A MAJOR OMNIBUS SURVEY IN JANUARY 2021. THE AMERICA SPEAKS! POLL DATA SUMMARY, VOLUME 21, SERVES AS A RESOURCE FOR ELECTED OFFICIALS, WRITING LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, OP-EDS, OR ARTICLES, AND ADVOCATING FOR RESEARCH TO IMPROVE HEALTH.