2024: A Year in Review
We are united under a common cause – advocating for science and innovation to achieve better health for all. The great strength of Research!America is our 300+ member organizations and you – the individuals who are part of these organizations. In 2024, we worked together to cultivate congressional champions, engage federal officials, and raise awareness with the public about the contributions of science and innovation to our nation and the global community. With you, we will continue to push the pace of medical and scientific progress to deliver better health for all and a vibrant science & technology future for the U.S.
- Arranged 51 congressional meetings to strengthen support for NIH and other key research and public health agencies.
- Engaged with 26 federal officials to make the case for funding and policies that strengthen and elevate the priority of public sector and private sector-driven R&D.
- Produced 33 new policy and advocacy resources for alliance members, including a nonpartisan candidate engagement toolkit, fact sheets, templates and other resources, along with multiple resources focused on securing federal research funding increases, protecting tech transfer and achieving other key advocacy objectives.
- Held 53 virtual alliance discussions, including alliance member-only meetings that provided opportunities for off-the-record engagement with key federal officials, congressional staff, and political strategists from both sides of the aisle.
- Established an informal ARPA-H coalition within the R&D ecosystem to assist members in understanding and interacting with the new agency as it gained a solid footing in the R&D ecosystem.
- Addressed controversial and consequential NIH reform proposals, facilitating interactions with key congressional staff and setting the stage for productive engagement with both sides of the aisle as interest in NIH reform continues.
- Facilitated discussions between alliance members and the congressional staff working on “Cures 2.1,” the third generation of bipartisan legislation (the 21st Century Cures Act) focused on strengthening the discovery, development, and delivery pipeline.
- Hosted a standing-room-only Hill briefing on the critical role of clinical trials in the research and development continuum, featuring Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-IN-08) and leaders from the FDA, industry, and patient advocacy organizations.
- Co-hosted a packed reception on Capitol Hill for new NIH Director Monica Bertagnolli.
- Together with the National Science Board, hosted a reception featuring leaders of the Vision for American Science and Technology (VAST) initiative, to provide decision makers with a roadmap to push innovation in science and technology to the next level.
- Delivered keynotes and presentations at over 30 universities, scientific societies, and other groups.
Celebration, Inspiration, Engagement, Insights
Advocacy Awards
Our 2024 Advocacy Awards celebrated 12 honorees for contributions to medical and public health research and for leadership in advocacy including: U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA) and Patty Murray (D-WA) who each won the Edwin C. Whitehead Award.
Keeping a Pulse on Public Opinion
Surveys
Our America Speaks: Poll Data Summary, Volume 24, released in April, serves as a resource for elected officials, outreach, and advocacy. We continued to assess public sentiment about science and research through three surveys this year:
- Our annual survey assessing Americans’ perspectives on medical and health research in January 2024.
- In partnership with the American Heart Association, we surveyed American’s views on food and nutrition.
Engaging with Experts and Stakeholders
National Health Research Forum
The 2024 National Health Research Forum hosted thought-provoking discussions around Exploring Innovations in Health Systems Research, Strengthening the STEM Workforce, Accelerating Innovation Through Clinical Trials, Mental Health, Building Trust, AI and Drug Development, and more!
- 1,022 registrants.
- 40 speakers, including 11 high-ranking government officials.
- Notable speakers included: NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan, PhD; NIH Director Monica Bertagnolli, MD; CDC Director Mandy Cohen, MD; NIST Director Laurie Locascio, PhD; AHRQ Director Robert Valdez, PhD, MHSA; Novartis Global Head of Cardio-Metabolic Development, Dave Soergel, MD; and Pfizer Chief Medical Officer, Aida Habtezion, MD, MSc.
Alliance Discussion
To help keep our members informed in real time of research progress and the policy landscape, we held 54 alliance discussions. Exceptional leaders from government, academia, and industry discussed timely topics, such as NIH reform, Cures 2.1, rising threat of vector-borne diseases, new developments in women’s health research, and health-focused artificial intelligence (AI).
Post-Election Briefing
Following the 2024 elections, we hosted our bi-annual Post-Election Briefing for an in-the-moment discussion about the 2024 election outcomes and implications for the 119th Congress. Moderator Laura Barrón-López, White House Correspondent for The PBS News Hour, led a lively discussion on the outlook for the newly elected Administration and Congress, and its impact on R&D and science and medical research.
Empowering Early Career Scientists and Building Science Trust
Civic Engagement Microgrant Program
Early career scientists are increasingly enthusiastic about engaging with their local communities and our Civic Engagement Microgrant Program, now in its 8th year, has been part of this important trend thanks to foundation support. In 2024, we provided 26 microgrants to groups across the country. In November, we launched the 2024-2025 cycle and received over 100 applications, double the number from the prior year. We also created a new microgrant opportunity to develop public engagement training content for scientists.
Research!America also released recommendations about how to include public engagement skills in STEMM graduate training based on input from a group of university and foundation leaders. We look forward to building on these recommendations in the new year.
Early Career Summit
Our 4th Early Career Summit was held weekly over four days in June to maximize opportunities for early career scientists to learn more about civic engagement, science communication, science policy, and career development.
Coalition for Trust in Health & Science
Research!America helps to lead the Coalition for Trust in Health and Science (CTHS), a nonpartisan organization working to ensure people are empowered to make informed and personally appropriate health decisions for themselves, their families, and their communities. CTHS includes more than 90 national organizations promoting trust in health and science through collaborative learning, and timely, evidence-based resources.
Campaigns/Advocacy
Public Health Thank You Day
For 19 years, Research!America has organized an effort to say “thank you” to our public health workforce the Monday before Thanksgiving.
- On November 25, the bipartisan co-chairs of the Congressional Public Health Caucus, co-sponsored House Concurrent Resolution 133 recognizing Public Health Thank You Day.
- We had ~1,000 tweets and involvement by more than 45 state and local health departments from 24 different states.
Science and Technology Action Committee
The Science and Technology Action Committee (STAC), an initiative that brings together nonprofit, academic, foundation and corporate leaders with Research!America in a leading role, continued to make the case for a far bolder approach to bolstering our nation’s R&D capacity. Building on momentum generated from the December 2023 release of STAC’s State of Science in America report, we created a task force comprised of nearly 70 influential leaders across science, academia, industry, philanthropy and policy with a mission to develop a Vision for American Science and Technology (VAST) to equip policy makers in Washington, D.C., with a view of what science and technology can be and concrete policy recommendations for the new Administration and Congress.
Thank you for your part in realizing these accomplishments whether you joined us as an advocate, sponsor, or participant. In 2025, we look forward to continuing to work together to drive scientific and technological innovation and push for health-restoring, life-saving research. Patients (and we are all patients) are waiting.