Biophysical Society Newsletter | August 2017

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BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER 5
AUGUST 2017
Assessment of ARPA-E. The report is an indepen-
dent evaluation of the Department of Energy’s
Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy
(ARPA-E) program, which was authorized in the
2007 America COMPETES Act and first funded
in 2009. The legislation that created ARPA-E
called for this independent review after six years.
The report is especially timely, as President Trump
has proposed ending the program in his 2018 bud-
get request and has also temporarily halted provid-
ing funds to already awarded ARPA-E grants for a
period this spring.
ARPA-E, modeled after the Department of De-
fense’s DARPA program, was created to incubate
innovative energy technologies. The National
Academies report concludes that the program is
making progress towards its goals but that “It can-
not reasonably be expected [of ARPA–E] to have
completely fulfilled those goals given so few years
of operation and the size of its budget. Impor-
tantly, especially at this early stage, the committee
found no signs that ARPA–E is failing, or on a
path to failing, to deliver on its mission and goals.”
The report suggests that the ARPA-E program
could be improved by considering the portfolio as
a whole to make sure the funded projects are trans-
formational, and by communicating results better
to the public.
Collins to Remain NIH
Director and Joined by
Norman Sharpless at NCI
President Donald Trump has announced that he
will keep Francis Collins on as Director of the NIH
and that Norman Sharpless will be the next director
of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Collins
has served as NIH Director since 2009. Cur-
rently Sharpless is the director of the Lineberger
Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University
of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, where he also
received his BA and MD. Sharpless will replace
acting director Doug Lowry, who has been serv-
ing in the role since Harold Varmus stepped down
from the position last year.
Canada Simplifies
Immigration Process for
Visiting Academics and
Researchers
In the wake of stricter international immigration
policies, Canada has introduced a new immigra-
tion program for visiting academics and research-
ers that will process temporary work permit
applications within two weeks. The Global Skills
Strategy allows work-permit exemptions for in-
ternational faculty and researchers visiting Cana-
dian Universities for up to 120 days per year. As
stated by Paul Davidson, President of Universities
Canada, this initiative will attract intellectuals to
Canada, “advancing knowledge, fostering innova-
tion, and building
prosperity.”
Apply to be the 2018-2019
BPS Congressional Fellow!
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learning more about science policy?
All members who have obtained their PhD and are
eligible to work in the United States may apply.
Application deadline: December 15, 2017
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information.
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