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Warwickshire group gets extra funding for men's mental health
A men's mental health group who meet near Stratford-upon-Avon have been given £40,000 in funding.
Orbit Fab hires new CEO and raises funding to support satellite refueling business
With a new chief executive and funding round, satellite refueling company Orbit Fab hopes to make the transition from technology development to operations.
Oregon awards $97.1 million in federal funds for 136 rural health projects in every county
Oregon awarded about $97.1 million in additional federal funding this year to support new projects aimed at improving health care in rural communities.
ECU Health, Martin County tout progress after state budget funding
Martin County and ECU Health say new funding included in the state budget marks a significant step toward restoring essential health care services in Martin Cou
Supreme Court justices Kagan and Barrett to testify on Capitol Hill
Supreme Court Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan are scheduled to testify before Congress next week as lawmakers consider the judiciary’s funding request. Barrett and Kagan are slated to appear before the House Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government on Tuesday, July 14, according to the House committee schedule. They will also testify […]
Gov. Abigail Spanberger signs Virginia budget into law
Spanberger signed a budget on June 29 that includes provisions on funding education, housing, and healthcare.
News | Bahraini investor backs South Florida sports and entertainment hub
ME&F Holdings closes first funding round for planned Miami FC stadium
Medicaid funding is resuming for Planned Parenthood, Maine provider
Planned Parenthood and two smaller regional abortion providers are resuming billing Medicaid for services other than abortion after being cut off for most of a year.
NMU secures funding to relocate College of Business
The $23 million project will see the College of Business move to an addition on the Hedgcock Building on campus
How Investors Are Reacting To Caesars Entertainment (CZR) Expanding Tribal-Linked Online Casinos And Digital Wallets In Maine
In June 2026, Caesars Entertainment announced it had expanded its partnership with three Wabanaki Nations to pursue a 2026 launch of three branded online casino platforms in Maine, pending regulatory approvals, integrated with Caesars Sportsbook, Caesars Rewards, and its Universal Digital Wallet. The agreement not only broadens Caesars’ digital footprint but also ties online gaming growth directly to tribal workforce development and long-term community funding commitments across the Wabanaki...
Business Monday: Big Island companies continue to recover from Kona low storms and earthquake
With the completion of property damage assessments from South Kona’s magnitude 6 earthquake that struck on May 22, Hawai‘i County officials now are waiting for Gov. Josh Green’s decision about whether he will file for a presidential disaster declaration that will help individuals and business owners secure funding for repairs.
An Urgent Threat to the Foundation of Federal Science Funding
New proposed regulations on the use of federal funding could cripple American science by replacing merit-based peer review of research projects with the whims of political appointees and ending support for the publication of research results. An entomologist and former federal government leader urges anyone who supports science to contact policymakers to oppose the proposed rules.
The down-ballot races that could shape Minnesota politics for years to come
Plus: Republican Senate hopeful pushes back on criticism over self-funding.
From birdsong to galaxies: Unleashing the potential of citizen science
Everyone could contribute dramatically more to scientific knowledge if given better recognition, administrative support and funding stability, new research has found. An international collaboration of ...
Atlanta's historic Municipal Market receives World Cup funding for small businesses
Spurring Tiger research momentum through internal funding
Research Council grants help faculty kick-start projects and pivot to new lines of inquiry.
IFT: Proposed US federal grant rules threaten nutrition science funding & competitiveness
The US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recently proposed rules to rewrite the Uniform Guidance — the rulebook for all federal grants. Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) chief science and technology officer tells Nutrition Insight that these rules are set to undermine the nation’s scientific research for food and nutrition and hinder global competitiveness.
Research Universities Are Admitting Fewer Ph.D.s, a Bad Sign for Science
Some of the nation’s top research universities are shrinking doctoral programs because of uncertain federal funding.
Ohio University receives first award from Rural Health Transformation Fund
Ohio University will receive the first funding from the federal Rural Health Transformation Program, according to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s office.
NASA and Small Business Administration partner on funding key space technologies
NASA is partnering with the U.S. Small Business Administration on an effort to attract capital to invest in companies producing critical space components.
UK tightens rules on overseas political donations to stop 'dodgy funding'
Britain tightened its rules on overseas political donations on Monday, as part of efforts to stop foreign money influencing elections, and as concerns swirl around what Housing Minister Steve Reed called "dodgy funding".
UK tightens rules on overseas political donations to stop ‘dodgy funding’
LONDON, July 6 (Reuters) - Britain tightened its rules on overseas political donations on Monday, as part of efforts to stop foreign money influencing elections, and as concerns swirl around what Housing Minister Steve Reed called "dodgy funding". Las...
Ministers to crack down on political donations as Farage faces calls for second inquiry
Measures to be announced to make funding more transparent amid new revelations about Reform UK leader
America’s entrepreneurial boom begins long before venture capital
Latino-owned businesses added 180,000 net new firms between 2017 and 2023 while white-owned firms declined — and the talent pipeline behind that growth runs through Minority-Serving Institutions now facing funding uncertainty.
Conservatives rage over re-funding of Planned Parenthood
Despite the restoration of Medicaid funding for health care services -- but not abortions -- dozens of closed clinics are not likely to reopen.
David J. Skorton: Make Your Voice Heard to Protect Science-Driven Funding Decisions in U.S. Research Policy
David J. Skorton: Make Your Voice Heard to Protect Science-Driven Funding Decisions in U.S. Research Policy / AAMC, cancer, David J. Skorton, OncoDaily,
For one small business, AI was key to a quick start and expansion
Here Now Health isn't an AI-based company, but its quick path from an idea in founder Michelle Turner's mind to an operating mental health platform for foster children relied deeply on the technology now restructuring the U.S. economy. Working from her Virginia Beach home, she used AI tools to school herself in startup culture, create a business plan and fine-tune a presentation for early-stage investors. Funding began to flow, and the company, launched in January 2025, now has 16 employees and is certified in three states to provide Medicaid-funded mental health counseling for children entering the foster system, a gap in care she identified through her own experience as a foster parent.
KOSA, wage theft and New Britain’s finances: CT Politics news
Plus: Early childhood education funding, UConn Health expansion, free college courses for high schoolers and Eversource's storm costs.
Cape Fear Valley Health Lays Off 138 People as It Cuts 200 Jobs
The healthcare system says cost-cutting moves aren't enough to offset federal funding cuts and rising costs.
Cruz pushes bill to hold tax-exempt sponsors accountable as DOJ probes Singham network
Ted Cruz pushes the SPONSOR Act to strip tax-exempt status from nonprofits funding political violence as the DOJ launches a grand jury probe.
One year after federal funding cuts, Mississippi's Vietnamese health navigators face an uncertain future
More than a year ago, federal cuts to health-related grants threw into uncertainty Mississippi’s only advocacy group devoted to serving the needs of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders statewide, and they are still working to figure out how to recover.
Platner will prioritize public health, which Collins helped to dismantle
A new television ad (paid for by “America First International Assistance”) portrays Sen. Susan Collins as protecting Maine from the Ebola virus by funding millions in scientific research. While the ad may have historical truth concerning her record (the footage appears to be several years old), Sen. Collins is a member of the Republican Senate […]
Skybound Entertainment Begins Another Equity Crowdfunding Raise
After Losses in 2024 and 2025
Whatcom County schools' mental health services dwindle as funding disappears
$1.6M in grants expired June 30, new fundraising campaign attempts to sustain services
Bigger fireworks, bigger politics: The fight over America's 250th
Presidents have always shaped Independence Day. Critics say this year’s celebration is different in scale, funding and politics.
Saving science as we know it: Overview of new proposed rule from the Office of Management and Budget, and how we can make our voices heard.
The Office of Management and Budget has proposed to completely restructure federal funding for science as we know it. In this bite, we review the most relevant points in the proposal and describe how to submit public comments on it by the deadline of July 13th, 2026.
Providing Outdoor Science Education
Science Kids was one of 15 nonprofits that received funding from the Sheridan-Johnson Counties Local Board of the Wyoming Community Foundation as part of their spring competitive grant cycle. Sheridan Media’s Ron Richter has more. Science Kids in Sheridan started in 2009. The nonprofit provides outdoor, hands-on science education and summertime classes for youth ages […]
Opinion | Trump administration move poses an existential threat to science
"The new threat can be found in the 412-page proposed rule from the Office of Management and Budget," two professors emeriti write. "It seeks to put all federal funding decisions, for science and non-science, in the hands of political appointees with no expertise."
Court Stops USDA From Enforcing Funding Conditions Tied to DEI, Women’s Sports
The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts recently blocked the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) efforts to withhold funding from states and grant recipients that have not confirmed their compliance with Trump administration policies on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), “gender ideology,” women’s and girls’ sports, and immigration.
NY ends public health coverage for 450,000 due to federal funding cuts
Some 450,000 New Yorkers enrolled in the state's Essential Plan lost their health coverage this week after federal funding cuts forced a rollback
Applications Opened July 1 for Wyoming's Rural Health Transformation Funding
CHEYENNE, WY – Today, the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) announced the opening of Requests for Applications (RFAs) for Wyoming’s Rural Health Transformation Program, a major initiative designed to strengthen healthcare access, improve health outcomes, and support innovative solutions for rural communities across the state. The funding opportunity represents an important step in implementing […]
$63M in federal funding being used to upgrade airports across New York
The funding is part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program and Airport Infrastructure Grant Program.
Trump administration ends $1.2M in federal grants for Wisconsin teen health programs
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services notified funding recipients on Saturday that the federal government had abruptly terminated a $1.2 million annual Teen Pregnancy Prevention grant, according to a letter shared with Wisconsin Public Radio.
NC’s first full budget since 2023 reflects transformed health policy landscape
North Carolina's first full budget since 2023 reflects Medicaid expansion, Healthy Opportunities Pilot funding, SNAP changes and new federal health policies.
Greater Savannah Black Chamber of Commerce celebrates small business grant recipients
Eleven small businesses completed the program and received grant funding.
North Dakota opens wellness equipment funding opportunity for rural hospitals | Health and Human Services North Dakota
From fitness and recovery equipment to mindfulness tools and wellness spaces that help reduce burnout, North Dakota Health and Human Services (HHS) is investing in the health and well-being of rural healthcare workers through a new funding opportunity for rural hospitals.Applications are now open for the Hospital Wellness Equipment funding opportunity through the North Dakota Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), providing resources to help rural North Dakota hospitals create healthier workplaces and support the physical, mental and emotional well-being of their workforce.
Wilmington Small Business Coalition: Building Momentum in 2026 by Heather McWhorter
This article was contributed by Lydia Thomas, UNCW CIE Program Manager. North Carolina continues to be one of the best states to start a business and in 2025, Wilmington, North Carolina earned a spot on the GoDaddy list of the top 10 most entrepreneurial cities in the U.S. While many know Wilmington as small beach town with exceptional food, lots of coffee shops, and fun, vibrant summer activities, a closer look reveals a thriving innovation economy. You’ll find startups emerging across industries including software, healthtech, bluetech, and fintech. At the core of this entrepreneurial ecosystem is the Wilmington Small Business Coalition, with small business advocates and entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs) dedicated to helping founders grow, thrive, and succeed. “No Wrong Door” Established in 2016, the Coalition was designed to make it easier for individuals and small businesses to access resources most suited to their particular needs. The Coalition is designed to have a “no wrong door” entryway into the regional startup ecosystem. Whether you are exploring a new idea sketched on the back of a napkin or leading a more established, growth-stage company, Coalition members can help connect you with the programs, funding opportunities, mentors, and resources best suited to your needs. No matter where you are in your entrepreneurial journey, any Coalition organization can help point you in the right direction. Coalition Members and Leadership Coalition members include the UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (UNCW CIE), AARP, Brunswick Community College Small Business Center, Cape Fear Community College Small Business Center, Cape Fear Region SCORE, Genesis Block Foundation, Network for Entrepreneurs in Wilmington (NEW), Small Business & Technology Development Center (SBTDC), Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, YWCA Living the Dream Center for Entrepreneurship, Carolina Community Impact Fund (CCI Fund), Partner Community Capital, 717mkt Office Collaborative, NC Biotech, and Institute NC. In May 2026, the Coalition held its leadership elections, resulting in the selection of a new executive team. The following officers were elected to serve two-year terms: Chair: Lydia Thomas, UNCW CIE Vice Chair: Diane Lantz, CCI Fund Secretary: Aariene Hansley, Genesis Block Foundation Treasurer: Gloria Monroe, SBTDC Vision for the Wilmington Small Business Coalition In 2026, the Wilmington Small Business Coalition continues its work as a collaborative network of organizations. By connecting programs, expertise, and services across partner organizations, entrepreneurs can more easily find the right support at the right time. Rather than operating in silos, the Coalition aims to function as a unified, cohesive system of support for small businesses and entrepreneurs, ensuring that resources and expertise across partner organizations are visible and accessible. Through stronger collaboration and shared pathways, entrepreneurs can move more seamlessly from idea to startup to growth. Looking to dive into the Wilmington entrepreneurial ecosystem? Connect with any of the Coalition partners to get started! Connect with CIE To learn more about CIE and our services, programs, and events, join the CIE newsletter. You can also follow us on social media: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, or YouTube. CIE’s website is uncw.edu/cie. Heather McWhorter is the director of the UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE). CIE supports innovation-forward start-ups and helps to build a vibrant innovation economy for all in southeast NC.
Trump administration suspends funding for New York's Medicaid fraud unit over low performance
The funding suspension is part of the Republican administration's broader anti-fraud actions in the healthcare sector.
Trump administration suspends funding for New York's Medicaid fraud unit
The move is the second suspension of a state Medicaid fraud unit this year by the Republican Trump administration.
Supreme Court strikes down Watergate-era limits on campaign funds for political parties
The Supreme Court ruled again that campaign funding is free speech protected by the 1st Amendment.
Opinion: Proposed cuts to federal funding put the stars out of reach for Alaska science students
For students at UAA and across the state, federal research support can be the difference between opportunity here and leaving for good.
Oklahoma Health Care Authority board approves balanced budget despite funding gaps
Budget cuts and modifications are leaving the state Medicaid agency with "razor-thin margins" as it enters the 2027 fiscal year.
US bill requiring paid games to be playable after they shut down has failed to pass a Senate vote
Stop Killing Games says it will try again with “the funding to do this properly”…
Will NC lawmakers oppose Trump’s funding ask without Helene money?
A number of North Carolina Republicans say they will oppose the White House's funding request because it doesn't include money for Helene recovery.
Premier Lacrosse League lands $100 million to chase Olympic moment
The funding comes at a crucial period of preparation for PLL, as it looks to capitalize on lacrosse being a part of the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Singham funding one of 'most subversive political networks' in America: former senior Treasury advisor
Sam Lyman, former Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speechwriter, called the Department of Justice grand jury probe into the Neville Roy Singham network an "enormous development."
Cornell Yang Center for Wildlife Health awards seed funding to five conservation efforts around the globe
The CCF provides catalytic seed funding to spark pioneering applied research to advance wildlife conservation solutions. The fund prioritizes initiatives that improve the health of free-ranging wildlife and/or solve environmental problems via a One Health lens.
Cook County Issues New Funding Opportunities to Improve Mental Health in Suburban Cook County - Cook County Department of Public Health
Cook County Department of Public Health has issued an open call for funding opportunities to help improve mental health in suburban Cook County. The funding opportunities reflect the department’s commitment to building healthier communities in suburban Cook County. The open calls are for restorative practices in schools and power building.
4 Sectors Attracting Seed Funding in Digital Entertainment
Digital entertainment is navigating a paradox. Overall venture capital flowing into gaming dropped sharply through 2025 and into 2026, yet seed-stage deal activity has remained surprisingly resilient across a handful of focused verticals
State funds access to fresh produce in high-poverty communities
State funding intends to increase access to fresh produce in Maryland's high-poverty communities.
Political Control of Research Funding Threatens Sound Science
Decades of federal research funding have led to breakthroughs in medicine, technology, and environmental science. A new OMB proposal aims to derail all of this through political interference.
Martin County residents keep pressing state officials for funding to reopen hospital
ECU Health has proposed converting Martin General into a Rural Emergency Hospital under a federal designation.
Investment in Israeli health tech startups dove 40% in 2025
Data shows that while the global industry saw a resurgence in private funding, investments in Israeli startups hit a five-year low amid geopolitical uncertainty
Opinion | Trump’s Science Cuts Betray America’s Past Since Lewis and Clark
America has funded scientific research since 1804 — and remembers that first project as a national glory. Cutting similar funding today is a betrayal.
‘AIDS is not over:’ Behind a local group’s awareness campaign for HIV funding
Walk through East Liberty, Bloomfield or other Pittsburgh neighborhoods and you might see flyers with black-and-pink block print and an urgent message:...
The new kings of the news business are in your inbox
Ryan Broderick has watched digital media companies flame out – beholden to a single source of funding or a fickle algorithm.
A lack of funding, a glut of stigma: How Ohio LGBTQ+ health outcomes are impacted
Being able to access healthcare in general is a struggle for LGBTQ+ individuals, and with legislation in Ohio and elsewhere that banned gender-affirming care for minors, for example, a need for healthcare can often clash with the hesitation to seek help.
Trump admin rule puts reproductive health care for 160K Pa. patients at risk, lawsuit says
A lawsuit says family planning and health organizations in Pennsylvania could face federal funding delays or denials due to a new Trump administration policy.
City of Covington awards final round of fiscal year 2026 Small Business Incentive program funding
The City of Covington continues its commitment to supporting entrepreneurs, revitalizing commercial corridors, and strengthening neighborhood business districts through the Covington Small Business Incentive Program. The Covington Board of Commissioners has approved the fourth and final round of Fiscal Year 2026 Small Business Incentive Program funding, awarding $28,000 to support four projects across the city....
National Science Foundation finds no violations in Texas A&M research security contract
U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, a Michigan Republican who chairs the House of Representatives' select committee on China, had urged the NSF to pause funding for a project known as SECURE.
$13 million in federal funding to be distributed across West Michigan clinics
More than $13 million in federal funding will be distributed across West Michigan hospital and clinic systems for research projects and healthcare infrastructure.
How one lawyer built a $1.3 million firm on social media
An entrepreneur shifts from a traditional law firm to an AI-based legal service, gaining $650K funding and achieving $372K in revenue post-launch.
Federal AI security center measure advanced by House Science
A measure that would put into law a key federal office focused on artificial intelligence advanced Thursday out of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, as part of a slate of AI-focused and data center bills. The committee advanced the bills on a bipartisan basis, but put off potential changes regarding funding levels for […]
Proposed Changes to Grant Rules Threaten the Future of Research: Scientists Must Act Now!
The Trump administration is seeking to politicize US federal science funding, but collective action can stop this grantpocalypse from happening.
Making Our Own Luck
We are cross-posting a piece that former NIH official Kris Willis wrote for Macroscience. Kris is now the President and Founder of the Woodley Park Institute, for which I’m a board member. Picking winners or hedging bets? Federal science agencies have long wrestled with the question of how to ensure their billions of dollars of grants and contracts result in maximum benefits for Americans. On the surface, it might seem that a goal-oriented, interventionist style of management would be the best policy: prioritize our most pressing problems and distribute funding accordingly.This top-down strategy creates a unique hazard, though: bad choices can send resources in the wrong direction, resulting in slow progress that impedes the delivery of tangible benefits to citizens. Moreover, if decision makers pursue an applied advance when the underlying scientific principles remain poorly understood, they risk costly failures and a loss of support for the research enterprise at large. Examples include Nixon’s 1971 War on Cancer, undertaken on the premise that a cure could be achieved in less than a decade, the drive to build an operational commercial fusion plant by the mid-1990s, and the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease, which failed to produce the effective treatments and prevention strategies promised by 2025. The contrasting laissez-faire approach is to hedge your bets. If the path to an advance is impossible to predict, then the wisest choice might be to distribute funding to as widely as possible. The main risk of this strategy is that spreading funding thinly may limit the resources available to the most promising research, resulting in the same negative outcomes as the interventionist approach: limited support for the most promising topics, slow progress, and delayed returns. In reality, at science agencies like the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health, program managers navigate between these two extremes, setting some funds aside to target high-priority areas and using the rest to cover the widest possible range of meritorious proposals. This middle path seems like the most rational way to proceed, but it still requires making choices. How much should be set aside for high priority topics? What should those topics be? How should we define merit? Expert opinion can provide a helpful guide, but leading experts can have remarkably different opinions about what matters and what should be prioritized. Moreover, experts and administrators alike can be risk averse, giving an edge to high-profile, well-established concepts. What’s really needed is a data-driven framework to help guide decision-making, one that doesn’t simply repackage prestige or incumbency. Recognizing breakthroughs years in advance Many breakthroughs fail to attract funding or recognition at the earliest stages of development. Katalin Karikó, for example, spent years struggling to win grants for work on mRNA that would eventually win her and Drew Weissman a Nobel Prize. Similar stories can be told about Jim Allison’s groundbreaking studies leading to the development of cancer immunotherapy, Stan Pruisner’s demonstration that prions can self-replicate without DNA, or Robin Warren and Barry Marshall’s proof that Helicobacter pylori, not stress, causes ulcers. Yet at some point, the scientific community recognizes and responds to transformative breakthroughs like these. How does that change happen? And what if science funders could identify the areas that are on the cusp of a breakthrough? Those questions led my collaborators and me to study how scientists responded to past breakthroughs. Based on patterns in that data, we developed a means of predicting future breakthroughs, using biomedicine as a proof of concept. It’s worth taking a moment to describe how our approach works. Briefly, our prediction process begins by grouping the 18 million or so peer-reviewed papers in PubMed, the authoritative database of biomedical research, into roughly 50,000 unique topics. A small subset of these topics are so widely acclaimed as breakthroughs that they have been recognized with a major prize like a Nobel or a Lasker Award. We theorized that studying the development of these outliers over time, especially before they gained acclaim, was the key to identifying future instances of them. After defining topics, we chose 21 representative breakthroughs and asked what they looked like before they won prestigious prizes. To answer that question, we re-ran our topic-mapping algorithm repeatedly, winding back the clock one year each time, stringing together the years to follow the progress of each field as it grew and advanced. We found that in each case, the years leading up to a discovery followed a pattern: a burst of papers on a new, rapidly evolving topic, many of which quickly became influential. These characteristics—the percent of papers that are new, the percentage of papers that are brought in from other topics, and the influence of each individual paper—can all be measured separately for any given topic. Together, they act as a predictive signal that is detectable an average of five years before a transformative discovery is made, and up to thirty years before the discovery receives a major prize. Scanning the current research landscape for topics that display this signal allows us to predict what work will likely produce a future breakthrough. Each year we analyzed includes four or five signals, a number that appears to have remained constant across a twenty year time frame. In their classic work on the sociology of science, Bruno Latour and Steve Woolgar established that the desire to participate in a major discovery is an important motivator for scientists as they consider whether they should take up (or abandon) a research problem. Although further work is needed, the simplest explanation for our results is that this behavior is widespread enough to detect at scale. A foundational advance, or something like it, draws the attention of scientists and causes them to change the direction of their research. They vote with their feet, staking their own reputation and careers by publishing on and citing the new idea. That upswell of interest is the foundation of our breakthrough signal. What kind of research does our model identify as a breakthrough? After building a model based on the patterns in our 21 preselected breakthroughs, we tested it by identifying all early signals of discovery from 1994 through 1997. Of the 18 signals we found in that time period, 17 can be traced forward in time to a breakthrough. Examples include super-resolution fluorescence microscopy (see the image above), the directed evolution of proteins and enzymes (Chemistry Nobel, 2018), and sequencing the human genome (National Medal of Science, 2008). The discovery of the role of leptin signaling in obesity is a particularly interesting case study. Around 1950, scientists noticed the existence of a type of lab mouse that suffered from a unique inherited form of obesity. When given the freedom to choose their own diet, these mice ate more than normal and preferred food that was high in fat. Researchers had few clues as to why the animals overate; early experiments pointed to the existence of a soluble ob factor found circulating in the bloodstream that regulated appetite, but its identity was unknown. In 1994, Jeffrey Friedman and colleagues identified and sequenced the ob gene, noting that the protein it encoded appeared to fit the profile of a circulating factor. A year later, a trio of high-profile publications demonstrated that ob was a hormone that regulated body weight and fat deposition by regulating appetite. One of these was co-authored by Friedman, who christened it leptin from the ancient Greek word for thin. Using our model, the data from 1996 make it clear this advance would become a breakthrough. Scientists had flocked to study the biology of the new hormone, generating the flurry of new papers and citations required to produce a signal. One of these demonstrated that serum leptin concentrations reflected the amount of adipose tissue in the human body, providing clinical validation of the earlier mouse studies. Before the identification of leptin, scientists were unable to point to a specific molecule that controlled appetite and adiposity, so that it was impossible to rule out non-physiological causes of obesity; its characterization fundamentally changed our concept of weight gain. In 2010, Friedman and fellow pioneer Douglas Coleman were awarded a Lasker for the discovery. Our work also identifies breakthroughs in clinical practice and behavioral and social sciences, even though these areas are less likely to draw the attention of major prize committees. One example that falls into this category is the introduction of endovascular aneurysm repair, a minimally invasive surgical procedure for the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm, a leading cause of death among Americans over the age of 65. Relative to the previous standard of care, it reduces in-hospital mortality by almost four-fold. In 2017, Timothy Chuter received the American College of Surgeons’ prestigious Jacobsen Innovation award for his multiple refinements to the technique. Another under-recognized breakthrough identified by our model is the development of standardized survey instruments to assess the quality of life for HIV+ patients. The antiretroviral cocktails introduced in the mid-1990s reduced AIDS mortality, but treatment came with serious side effects. The new evaluations showed that patients whose disease progressed had worse physical functioning than Americans with other chronic diseases, while those who were asymptomatic maintained a health-related quality of life on par with the overall US population. This evidence made it possible for patients and activists to argue that even in the absence of a total cure, and in spite of the side effects, alleviation of symptoms was a worthwhile priority for clinicians. My colleagues and I have failed to identify any significant recognition for the physicians and health policy experts who pioneered this advance, although in 2016, researchers called for the World Health Organization to set targets for good health-related quality of life as part of its framework to end the AIDS pandemic. From forecasting to funding How should science funders use our predictions? Any serious discussion of what we should do with this new capability needs to begin with an understanding of its limitations. We can’t (and shouldn’t) invest all of our resources in the small number of topics predicted to produce breakthroughs. Innovative new fields are born from existing ones; they rarely arise de novo. If funders don’t maintain a diverse portfolio, the breakthroughs of tomorrow will have no antecedents. Think of this as eating the seed corn, or killing the goose that lays the golden egg. There are also multiple goals of funding beyond basic scientific discovery, including translating discoveries into clinical practice, developing new technologies, supporting economic development, and training new scientists. The investments needed to accomplish these goals are likely different from those required to support emerging breakthroughs. Finally, we must be aware that we may not capture every instance of a breakthrough. The concept is fuzzy, and not every significant discovery is recognized with a major award. Further, breakthroughs are rare, meaning that our dataset is, by necessity, small. This makes formal estimates of accuracy challenging. Although our overall success rate appears to be high, any one signal may turn out to be a false positive. We found one apparent example: the development of the third generation COX-2 inhibitors, Vioxx and Celebrex, which were much celebrated in the early 2000s as effective but non-addictive pain relievers, meets all the algorithmic criteria of a breakthrough. Five years after it received FDA approval, researchers demonstrated that Vioxx was associated with serious cardiovascular complications, and the manufacturer voluntarily pulled the drug from the market. Celebrex remains available, although like other NSAIDs, it carries an FDA warning for increased cardiovascular risk. Decision makers who were overly focused on the breakthrough potential of this research might have wasted substantial resources nurturing an area that ultimately proved to be a failure—but so would those who relied on expert opinion at the time. That said, the potential benefits of funding the next mRNA vaccine or cancer immunotherapy years earlier than we might have are large. When we can’t assume the outcome of an action, it’s worth conducting an experiment. Can targeted support for areas that are poised to produce a breakthrough increase the return on scientific investment without cannibalizing future advances? With the necessary administrative infrastructure in place, conducting this experiment would be straightforward. First, identify all the breakthrough signals between 2018 and 2023, select half at random, and commit to a decade of investment. For biomedicine, a six year window should yield about 30 topics with the potential to produce a breakthrough. Providing strong support to half of these might be accomplished for $300 million a year. That’s roughly half of the recent annual budget of the NIH Common Fund or around 20% of the fiscal year 2025 budget for ARPA-H. After five years, then again at ten, compare to see which group — the one that was actively managed, or the control — produced more breakthroughs, and on what timescale. Although we used biomedicine as an example, the same experiment could just as well be run for physics, materials science, or any other discipline. Any attempt to undertake such an experiment should keep three points top of mind. First, we can predict the topic of future breakthroughs, but the people and vision for how to move the work forward are still important. In practice, this means success requires active program managers with the expertise to develop the science and the authority to do so, including by recruiting investigators. Second, we would be wise to learn from the failures of past attempts to fund transformative research. High among these are funding modestly repackaged work, confusing the genuinely novel with the merely unfamiliar, and relying too much on incumbent investigators. All of these risks can be mitigated by thoroughly and intelligently integrating high quality data into portfolio management. Finally, we need to have patience. Even with strong funding support, producing a breakthrough takes time. If supporting breakthroughs is the best way to nurture the birth of new fields, we also need to accurately describe and properly manage the other two stages, so that we invest wisely throughout the productive lifetime of ideas and divest once they reach the point of diminishing returns. We would benefit from more study of all of these phases, especially the transition from one to another. More research could answer questions like: When does a breakthrough become an established field? How do the availability of funding, the size and characteristics of the available workforce, and the accumulation of evidence that disagrees with prevailing models affect a field’s decline? Exactly how do old ideas give birth to new ones, and can we speed up the process? The more we understand about the dynamics of scientific progress, the better we can maximize the odds that our curiosity leads to results. I’d call that finding a way to make our own luck.
Dunleavy vetoes some health and education increases approved by Alaska lawmakers
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy canceled funding increases for a variety of state health and education programs on Wednesday, vetoing a combined $57.8 million in general-purpose money from state budget bills passed by the Legislature.
Waterloo's Grout Museum District to demolish its Bluedorn Science Imaginarium amid funding changes
This summer, the Grout Museum District is preparing to demolish its former science center, the Bluedorn Science Imaginarium. The decision was made in the face of funding uncertainty stemming from property tax reform in Waterloo.
Ohio State–led team secures NSF award to advance to next phase of the National Quantum Virtual Laboratory program
The Ohio State University is strengthening its growing prominence in quantum science, technology, and education with a $4 million, two‑year Phase II design award from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to advance a national effort focused on next‑generation quantum sensing.The funding is helping to bring together top researchers and ...
A lack of funding, a glut of stigma: How Ohio LGBTQ+ health outcomes are impacted
For the 1 in 10 Ohioans who identify as LGBTQ+, media representation and social acceptance may have improved, but stigma and discrimination still impact them in large aspects of their lives, including healthcare access.
UT San Antonio College of Sciences invests in new multidisciplinary research through inaugural Seed Grant Initiative
Three research projects were selected to receive up to $50,000 in seed funding.
Assort Health scores $120M series C to scale voice AI agent platform for healthcare
Assort Health picked up $120 million in series C funding, hitting unicorn status, to fuel the company's work building out a voice AI agent platform for healthcare. | Assort Health has a large proprietary specialty dataset built on 190 million patient interactions, 62,000 care protocols and 1.6 million decision pathways.
Michigan health department awards $3.75M in opioid settlement funding for youth substance use prevention
Oracle's Headcount Fell by 21,000 as AI Reshapes Its Business. Here's What It Means for the Stock.
The job cuts made headlines. But the bigger story is what's funding them.
Webber sponsors long-term funding bills to support Michigan business startups
LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Michael Webber on Wednesday introduced legislation to help create more Michigan jobs through long-term support for startup businesses in the state. “We created the Michigan...
Howard Hahn Helps Establish Global Health Nonprofit Following International Funding Reductions | News and Publications
Kutak Rock attorney Howard Hahn recently spearheaded the formation of The GOARN Fund, Inc. (&ld...
Governor Morrisey Announces $2.4 Million Investment to Expand Worksite Clinics Across West Virginia
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Governor Patrick Morrisey today announced a $2.4 million investment to expand access to worksite-based healthcare services across West Virginia. Through the state's Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), the funding will expand employer-based health services and strengthen workforce participation as part of the Health to Prosperity (HTP) initiative. With this announcement, total funding opportunities and implementation initiatives under RHTP now exceed $88.5 million.
The $50B rural health transformation fund is pushing many hospitals to shrink
To avoid losing funding, many states are pursuing proven cost-saving models, such as downsizing inpatient care, rather than novel, untested approaches, some experts say.
New Orleans hospital destroyed by Katrina to be reborn as a science hub
While other universities scale back research amid federal funding uncertainty, Tulane University will lead a sweeping redevelopment of the vacant Charity Hospital.
Cuyahoga County moves to increase funding for pro sports venues
Cuyahoga County moves to increase funding for pro sports venues
State advances over four hundred projects in bid for Rural Health Transformation Program funding
The state received about 1800 letters of interest from organizations, and those chosen are advancing to the application phase, or are getting grants for project planning.
Road-funding initiative in Colorado qualifies for November ballot
A measure that would dedicate all transportation-related revenue to Colorado’s roads and bridges has officially qualified for the November ballot after it cleared the state’s signature threshold, according to election officials. Backed by the coalition Restore Our Roads, Initiative No. 175 would require that all transportation-related revenue be used exclusively for building and repairing roads […]
Road-funding initiative clears signature threshold, qualifies for November ballot
A measure that would dedicate all transportation-related revenue to Colorado’s roads and bridges has officially qualified for the November ballot after Initiative No. 175 cleared the state’s signature threshold, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. Backed by the coalition Restore Our Roads, Initiative 175 would require that all transportation-related revenue be used exclusively for […]
Landmark housing bill advances in Congress with bipartisan support
Measures to provide federal funding for housing production in big cities could be particularly significant to California.
Project ASCENT at ILL selected for EU funding under "Choose Europe for Science"
The Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) will lead the ASCENT project, funded at 1.4 M€ by the European Commission as part of the initiative "Choose Europe for Science 2025". The goal is to train the next generation of researchers and sustain Europe’s leadership in neutron science. ASCENT is one of 16 projects (three of them in France) funded under the pilot call of a programme that aims to enhance the attractiveness of research careers in Europe and address the challenge of scientific talent retention. It is also the only project led by a large-scale infrastructure.
NC students bring calls for school funding, mental health support to legislature
Students from across North Carolina urged lawmakers to invest more in public schools, citing concerns including mental health services
Governor Moore Announces Tenfold Expansion of Funding Database in Maryland Community Business Compass
Governor Moore Announces Tenfold Expansion of Funding Database in Maryland Community Business Compass
Trump administration front-loaded science cuts, tracking tool reveals
The Union of Concerned Scientists' new tool documents administration rollbacks in rulemaking, personnel and funding.
Hackensack Meridian to upgrade pediatric behavioral health tech
Edison, N.J.-based Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation has received nearly $150,000 from the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation to support new technology at Hackensack Meridian K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital in Neptune, N.J. The funding will support the installation of five interactive media walls in the Pediatric Emergency Department’s Behavioral Health Unit, according to a June 22 […]
Pisgah Health Foundation opens 2026 grant cycle with $250K for 3 counties
Nonprofit organizations working to improve health and well-being across three Western North Carolina counties will soon be able to apply for new funding.