The President of the American Chemical Society (ACS), Dr. Nancy B. Jackson, testified before the House Science, Space and Technology Subcommittee on Research and Science Education on July 26, 2011, about the effectiveness of the merit review process used by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to decide which scientific research proposals to fund.
The NSF merit review process has been studied and implemented as a gold standard by nations the world over. According to Dr. Jackson, assuring a balanced portfolio of research is critical. In tough economic times, it is vital to spend prudently.
The purpose of the hearing was to examine ways to streamline the process of evaluating the tens of thousands of grant applications submitted every year. NSF received over 55,000 grant proposals in 2010. These were cut down to 13,000. The foundation and other federal agencies supporting scientific research have a lot of money at stake when evaluating proposals. A great deal of time and money reportedly go into evaluation efforts.
Lawmakers on the subcommittee invited a panel of scientists and research administrators to discuss proposals for streamlining the review process. The hearing was held in Room 2318 of the Rayburn House Office Building.
In addition to Dr. Jackson, the subcommittee heard testimony from three other witnesses - Dr. Cora Marrett, Deputy Director, National Science Foundation; Dr. Keith R. Yamamoto, Vice Chancellor for Research, University of California, San Francisco; and Dr. Jorge José, Vice President for Research, Indiana University.
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