Coalition to Protect Research

The scientific community needs your help!

For the past three years, Congressional attacks have continued on peer-reviewed research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Last year, the House of Representatives approved an amendment by voice vote sponsored by Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-TX) that would have rescinded funding for two specific peer-reviewed grants that he found to be outside the mission of the National Institute of Mental Health. While the amendment was ultimately removed from the final bill that funds NIH, and the grants continue to be funded, it has not discouraged House members from resorting to these strategies.

Congress has the responsibility to ensure that tax dollars are spent appropriately across all federal agencies. Likewise, NIH takes its responsibility seriously and relies on a rigorous peer review process involving thousands of scientists who volunteer their time and expertise to ensure that only scientific proposals of the highest quality are approved for funding. Therefore, it is disheartening that some members of Congress seek to undermine the integrity of the NIH peer- review process by arbitrarily targeting individual peer-reviewed research projects for defunding.

While the organizations representing scientists, researchers and those advocating for federally-funded research on a wide range of health concerns are doing their best to defend peer review and the NIH's decision-making process, Congress needs to hear from you. We would like to share this petition with your Representatives and Senators in Congress to show them that you, their constituents, are paying attention to their votes on these issues and that the scientific peer-review process should be free from political interference.

Read the Petition
Sign the Petition
View Current Signatures

Click here to go to the Coalition to Protect Research Web site.

Back to Top^