Natural Science Collections Alliance
Our members are part of an international community of museums, botanical gardens, herbariums, universities and other institutions that house natural science collections and utilize them in research, exhibitions, academic and informal science education, and outreach activities.
A coalition of 110 scientific organizations signed a letter in defense of peer review at the National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSC Alliance was one of the organizations that signed the letter. The letter was prompted by recent congressional actions that called into question the merit review process used by the National Science Foundation (NSF) […]
The NSC Alliance has submitted testimony to the Senate and House Appropriations Subcommittees on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. The testimony supported $2.0 million in new funding for the Department of the Interior’s Cultural and Scientific Collections program. The FY 2014 budget request would implement a multi-year action plan to address recommendations made by the […]
President Obama’s budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2014 requests $7.6 billion for the National Science Foundation. This is a proposed increase of $592.7 million, or 8.4 percent over the FY 2012 appropriation. Increases are proposed for all mission areas within NSF. The Research and Related Activities account, which includes funding for the various disciplinary […]
Today, the NSC Alliance submitted testimony to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. The testimony supported $2.0 million in new funding for the Department of the Interior’s Cultural and Scientific Collections program. The FY 2014 budget request would implement a multi-year action plan to address recommendations made by the Department’s Inspector […]
The NSC Alliance submitted testimony to the Senate in favor of sustained funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF) in fiscal year 2014. The testimony supports the President’s budget request of $7.626 billion for FY 2014, an increase of $593 million above FY 2012. “The progress of basic scientific research requires a steady federal investment,†[…]
The National Science Foundation has issued a new solicitation for proposals for the Collections in Support of Biological Research program. The full proposal deadline is 16 July 2013. The Collections in Support of Biological Research program provides funds: 1) for improvements to secure, improve, and organize collections that are significant to the NSF BIO-funded research […]
On Thursday, 20 June 2013, NSC Alliance and iDigBio will sponsor a symposium on digitization and dissemination of natural history data. The symposium is broken out into two sessions. The morning program will be an introduction to digitization and dissemination of data and will focus on iDigBio and other initiatives. The afternoon session will focus […]
A new report calls for the creation of a Network Integrated Biocollections Alliance to increase research productivity, solve societal problems, and drive innovation. The report was the outcome of a workshop of experts that was convened last fall to outline the steps needed to build a Network Integrated Biocollections Alliance (NIBA) in the next ten […]
Scientists and graduate students who are interested in communicating the importance of federal investments in scientific research and education to lawmakers are encouraged to participate in an important upcoming event. Each year, the Biological and Ecological Sciences Coalition (BESC) hosts a Congressional Visits Day in Washington, DC. This event is an opportunity for scientists to […]
In 2012, the NSC Alliance engaged in a number of notable activities to raise the profile of natural history collections with policymakers, researchers, and the general public. A few highlights are presented below: Conducted a Congressional briefing on digitization of natural science collections. The event was well attended by policymakers from Capitol Hill, federal agencies, […]