Supporting those affected by hurricane Maria

Contributed by Daniel Colón-Ramos Earlier this month, Hurricane Maria cut a destructive path across Puerto Rico. Rescuing Biomedical Research member Daniel Colón-Ramos has put together some straightforward strategies for members of the biomedical research community wanting to help those affected by the hurricane both in Puerto Rico and in the mainland U.S. Acknowledge the crisis … Read more

Rescuing Biomedical Research statement on the move toward open access

Rescuing Biomedical Research (RBR) supports the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) and associated research and academic libraries in their recent letter addressed to the President of the United States regarding the benefits of full, open access to published scientific articles. https://sparcopen.org/news/2019/sparc-letter-to-the-white-house-regarding-rumored-open-access-policy/ The SPARC letter requests the Trump administration to change federal policy to … Read more

RBR comments on use of preprints in grant review

Today, Rescuing Biomedical Research submitted a response to the National Institutes of Health’s request for information regarding the use of preprints and other interim research products in grant review. We strongly support the ASAPbio position in this regard, and our response is highly similar to the ASAPbio response to the RFI. From the response: A … Read more

A recap of the RBR staff scientist session at the ASCB|EMBO meeting

At the recent American Society for Cell Biology meeting in Washington D.C., Rescuing Biomedical Research sponsored a session called “Barriers to expanding the ranks of staff scientists in biomedical research.” The session was meant to address some of the sticking points to hiring and retaining more lab and core-based staff scientists in academic institutions. On … Read more

Reforming the biomedical workforce in the time of COVID-19

Never before has the American biomedical research been paused the way it is during the COVID-19 pandemic. The decisions universities, federal agencies and researchers make during these times will reverberate throughout the research enterprise for years to come. The systemic flaws in biomedical research have been outlined numerous times prior to the pandemic. But the … Read more

Rescuing Biomedical Research receives grant to continue reform efforts

Rescuing Biomedical Research is pleased to announce the renewal of a grant from the Open Philanthropy Project that will allow the organization to continue its work to make reforms to the American biomedical research enterprise. “Thanks to our Open Philanthropy partners, we have been able to make substantial progress over the past two years in … Read more

Papers, preprints, events and other information on COVID-19

This post will be updated periodically. If you have scientific research resources to add, please share them in the comments section below. The emergence of SARS-CoV2 and the spread of COVID-19 is a global emergency. In response, biomedical researchers across the world have mobilized to rapidly improve our understanding of the virus and the disease … Read more

Philanthropists launch new research initiative

Priscilla Chan, noted philanthropist and pediatrician, and Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and chief executive officer of Facebook, announced the formation of the Chan Zuckerberg Science to find ways to “cure, treat or manage all diseases in our lifetime.” The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a charitable organization started by the couple, will invest $3 billion over the next … Read more

The policy-driven decline in R01 renewal applications and awards

Modern biomedical research labs require grants, typically from the National Institutes of Health, to function. An increase in the number of scientists seeking NIH R01 funding combined with low R01 success rates has meant that most grant applications go through multiple rounds of revision and resubmission before being funded. This time spent on writing and … Read more

Preparing Ph.D.s for non-academic careers

By Jennifer Nguyen As more Ph.D.s are turning towards careers outside of academia, it is important for universities to equip them with the training and skills necessary to succeed. In 2013, the National Institutes of Health launched the Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training program to encourage universities to explore methods focusing on professional training of … Read more