Washington, D.C. — TechNet, the national, bipartisan network of tech CEOs and senior executives, submitted comments from President and CEO Linda Moore on the Trump Administration Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) proposed revisions to the Uniform Guidance governing Federal Financial Assistance, which regulates federal agencies’ funding decisions — including in the areas of research, scholarly publishing, and technology standards. Moore welcomed the Administration’s efforts to reform the process for investing federal funds responsibly, while raising concern that certain provisions would unintentionally slow the United States’ progress in developing the technologies of the future. She urged the Administration to revise the proposed regulations to prevent the risk of inadvertent new burdens on research dissemination and publication, scientific collaboration, and the efficient distribution of federal funds. Moore stated:
“Federally supported research and private sector investment together have been the driving forces behind American innovation — turning new discoveries into commercial technologies that strengthen our economy and national security. TechNet recognizes the need to ensure taxpayer dollars are used responsibly, and we believe maintaining a robust federal research ecosystem aligns with that goal. We urge the Administration to incorporate these improvements we propose to strengthen public confidence in federal funding decisions while ensuring the U.S. can continue to be the world leader in innovation.”
Specifically, TechNet recommended that OMB:
- Ensure merit-based scientific review remains the basis for evaluating competitive research awards while preserving agency discretion to establish programmatic priorities and make final award decisions;
- Preserve existing rules that recognize reasonable research publication and dissemination expenses as allowable costs;
- Preserve flexibility for access to scientific conferences and technical collaboration;
- Minimize unnecessary administrative burdens that discourage participation in federally funded research;
- Evaluate the cumulative impact of the proposed revisions on public-private research partnerships, technology commercialization, and U.S. competitiveness; and
- Extend the public comment period to allow for additional stakeholder engagement before finalizing revisions of this scope.