Reading the Wall St. Journal this morning (click on the link above) I noticed a very interesting article regarding the NIH. Apparently several influential congressmembers have gotten a bee in their bonnet about the possible “mis-use” of public funds by NIH-funded PI’s. This uptick in interest reflects a pattern that I’ve seen before–a political pendulum if you will–that doesn’t serve the NIH, nor science as a whole very well. Of particular concern is the focus on graduate student tuition support because one thing is very clear: graduate students need more, not less support from the federal government.
In general when NIH becomes a political football, it is a reflection, in my opinion, of general governmental dysfunction. The agency is clearly one example of a federal agency that actually works.
My two cents,
Jim
Discoverers and Discoveries 