I write to call your attention to two important developments here in Washington: the release by the National Science Board (NSB) of the biennial report Science and Engineering Indicators 2012 and the release by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) of a draft RFA to award $100 million over five years to a number of projects tackling the major challenges of international development.

National Science Board: Science and Engineering Indicators 2012

States reduced per-student funding for major public research universities by a fifth during the past decade, while foreign competitors invested heavily to challenge our nation’s once dominant position in science, innovation and higher education, according to the new NSB report out today.  The NSB found state funding for the top 101 public research universities declined by 10 percent between 2002 and 2010, in inflation adjusted dollars and nearly three-quarters of the universities experienced reductions in state funding.

The 575-page Science and Engineering Indicators 2012 report, a biennial report to the President and Congress, is the most comprehensive and up-to-date information and analysis on the nation’s position in science and technology.  It also provides important insight into the plight of public research universities across the nation as well as the important role our institutions play in the nation’s global competitiveness.  We have issued the following statement in response:

“America’s public research universities are a critical component to the nation’s global economic competitiveness.  State support per student for public universities has been trending down for over a decade and that drop in support is driving up tuition costs and increasing the indebtedness of graduates.

“Public university leaders continue to work diligently to control costs and raise funds for additional student financial aid to ensure access to the widest range of students possible. All over the country major change is underway on public university campuses in order to respond to student and public needs with quality even as there have been significant reductions in public funding.

“However, the facts remain, that cuts in state appropriations have resulted in higher tuition and we urge states to do all they can to sustain their support of students and their public universities. For more than 150 years, public research universities have provided the intellectual and human capital to advance America, now is not the time to abandon this critical resource.”

The entire report is available on the National Science Foundation website.  There is significant data within the report that I encourage you to use to build support within your state.

USAID: Request for Applications

USAID announced an interesting opportunity focused on engaging the university community in new approaches to tackling the major challenges of international development.  The draft RFA, comes with a strong S&T emphasis, but it is multidisciplinary in its approach and also reaches deeply into the social sciences.  Our information is that it will award $100 million over five years to two or three consortia, tackling the broadest problems; and seven or eight single institution proposals, with a narrower focus.

The approach draws in some respects on the NSF’s Center concept, and those of you who met with or heard USAID Administrator Raj Shah at our Annual Meeting will realize that his remarks to us were setting the stage for this initiative.

Although this is a draft version, we understand the final will not be substantially different.  We also understand there may be a relatively short response time once the final is released, although we will urge USAID to allow time for our best institutions to do their best work on this flagship initiative.

We provided the document to your International Programs and International Agricultural Officers last week, and it is also going out to your Research VPs.  They are aware of the process for submitting questions and that there will be a pre-solicitation conference/webinar on the afternoon of January 24.  (Details are at  http://universityengagement.usaid.gov.)  Your campuses are no doubt already hard at work, but I wanted to make you personally aware of what I see as an excellent opportunity to deepen the collaboration between our member institutions and USAID.