Still time to RSVP for seminar on congressional funding

Matt Hammons

Mark Bowen

UNMC faculty and administrators interested in congressionally-directed funding and the best avenues to secure it can still RSVP for May 15 seminar on the topic.

Commonly called earmarks, congressionally-directed funding is a line-item in a federal appropriations bill that directs money to a specific organization for a specific purpose.

This funding has changed dramatically during the last few years.

Appropriations for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), UNMC’s main source of federal funding, have been stagnant and the average age of an investigator receiving an RO1 award has climbed to 43.

A consequence of the tight funding is evident by NIH reports that the success rate for all NIH research project grants has plummeted 16 percent since 2003.

During a seminar on Thursday, May 15 at noon in the Durham Research Center Auditorium, University of Nebraska Federal Relations Coordinator Matt Hammons and UNMC Director of Government Relations Mark Bowen will discuss:

• The difference between congressionally-directed funding and grant funding;
  
• University and congressional timelines;
  
• How to write an earmark request; and
  
• The congressional process.

Seminar attendees are invited to bring lunch. Cookies and refreshments will be available. Click here to RSVP for the workshop.