Research Matters – Resources to Protect Research Funding 

Dear Advocate,

For more than 30 years, AVAC and partners have worked to protect the infrastructure and funding that drives lifesaving HIV and biomedical research. Today, that mission is more urgent than ever. 

Funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) fuels innovation, drives the economy, and saves lives. Cuts to this support will make America—and the world—poorer, sicker, and less prepared for future health threats. 

Tomorrow (Wednesday, April 30), the US Senate Appropriations Committee will host a hearing on Biomedical Research: Keeping America’s Edge in Innovation at 10:30am ET. 

And be sure to read the written statement to the Committee from AVAC and The Federal AIDS Policy Partnership (FAPP) Research Working Group, which provides a strong, urgent appeal to Congress to reject future funding cuts to the NIH and shows the importance and impact investments in biomedical research have had on lives and livelihoods. 

In addition, AVAC, TAG and the HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA) co-created a new resource hub, Research Matters, to support researchers advocating for sustained NIH funding. These tools include an  Advocacy Toolkit  to help move our collective efforts forward. Please share this link with any researchers who have received NIH funding—we will continue to update the hub with resources to support continued advocacy for biomedical research.  

Additionally, AVAC and partners are collecting stories of impact—if you know someone willing to share their story about how NIH cuts are affecting their work, contact John Meade Jr. at [email protected]. This Huffington Post piece by Katie Edwards at the University of Michigan is a terrific example of a researcher sharing the real-world toll on scientists, trial participants, communities, research and public health. 

Thank you for standing with us to protect science, health, and progress. 

Best,

AVAC