In Brief
Take Action: Invest in the U.S. Scientific Research Endeavor
Federal appropriators are already starting work on FY27 ahead of the official President’s Budget Request (PBR) ahead of its expected release in the next several weeks. It is imperative that Congress put forward a robust, predictable federal budget for the agencies funding scientific research – the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Department of Energy Office of Science. Take Action Now!
BPS Establishes Fiscal Year 2027 Funding Requests for Federal Agencies
House and Senate appropriators have begun work on fiscal year (FY) 2027. While we may have just finalized most, but not all, federal funding for FY26, work is well underway for FY27. With the ‘skinny’ budget, providing topline spending numbers for agencies, is expected to be released by the White House at the end of March we don’t expect to see the full White House request until April at this point – more than two months past its’ scheduled release date. The scientific community is not optimistic about the President’s Budget Request will look like for 2027, given the drastic cuts proposed for 2026.
Regardless, the Biophysical Society, along with its’ various coalition partners, are already on record with our requests for funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF) and Department of Energy Office of Science for FY27. BPS is supporting modest increases for the next fiscal year. For NIH a total funding request of $51.303 billion and increase over the $48.716 approved for 2026. The Society is requesting a total budget of $9.9 billion for the NSF; an increase over the current budget of $8.750 billion. Lastly, for the Department of Energy Office of Science, we are requesting total spending of $9.500 billion, an increase over current budgets of $8.400 billion.
Trump Nominates Jim O’Neill to Lead National Science Foundation
President Donald Trump has nominated investor and health policy official Jim O’Neill to direct the National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSF has been without a permanent leader since computer scientist Sethuraman Panchanathan resigned in April 2025. Since then, the agency has been run on an interim basis by administrator Brian Stone.
While O’Neill has no STEM or science background, as past Directors have, he previously served as deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and briefly as acting head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Earlier in his career he worked in technology investment linked to entrepreneur Peter Thiel.
The nomination comes as the administration pushes federal research toward near-term technological applications such as artificial intelligence and quantum information science. Scientists emphasize that the NSF’s core mission is supporting fundamental research across disciplines—work that historically underpins many later technological breakthroughs. If confirmed, O’Neill would lead a $9 billion agency central to U.S. scientific research, education, and innovation. However, the likelihood of his confirmation remains in question based on initial reactions from the Senate to his nomination.
NIH To No Longer Recognize Fellows Union
In a March 2 letter, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) informed NIH Fellows United, a union representing roughly 5,000 early career researchers in NIH-run labs, that NIH would no longer recognize the group “in its entirety.” NIH had previously agreed to a contract that was ratified by the union in December 2024. It is not clear how the recent move by NIH may affect this contract. The email to the union indicated that NIH intends to file a petition with the Federal Labor Relations Authority, which oversees federal employee unions.
Early Rejections Reported in NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Competition
Dozens of applicants to the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) program have been rejected this year before their proposals were reviewed. At least 50 students reported receiving notices stating their applications did not meet eligibility or compliance requirements and were “returned without review.”
The GRF program, created soon after the NSF’s founding in 1950, is a major pathway for supporting early-career scientists and funds three years of graduate study across NSF-supported fields. The fellowship program has recently undergone changes, including a smaller 2025 cohort and new rules that bar second-year graduate students from applying. The NSF typically receives up to about 14,000 applications annually and expects to announce this year’s fellowship recipients in April.
Compliance requirements for the GRF program can be adjusted from year to year; applicants are urged to read through the specified requirements carefully to ensure they meet the requests as written.