WIKIMEDIA, MARTIN JACOBSENHouse of Representatives science committee chair Lamar Smith, a Republican from Texas, is writing a bill that would mandate new funding criteria for National Science Foundation (NSF) grants.
Called the “High Quality Research Act,” the bill would require the NSF to judge research on three criteria, according to a copy of the draft legislation obtained by ScienceInsider and The Huffington Post.
According to the draft, all funded research must “advance the national health, prosperity, or welfare” and “secure the national defense” of the United States. The NSF must certify that each funded project is of “the finest quality, is groundbreaking, and answers questions or solves problems that are of utmost importance to society of large.” Finally, funded projects can’t duplicate work already being funded by the government.
The draft comes after Smith and other representatives questioned National Science Board Chair Dan Arvizu and acting NSF head Cora Marrett about the agency’s funding criteria ...
