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Miniatures make a comeback as young people seek to relieve stress
Life is uncertain. But there is one place where all is serene and predictable - the world of miniatures. “Unlike in real life, things are perfect in the miniature world,” says Lee Thomas Seawell, 66, ...
Warframe Reveals Major New Chapter, Playing Card Mini-Game, Fortnite Collab And Much More
And Brysko, a Sentient Warframe
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Freeman Health System has appointed Kyle Bridges as interim chief administrative officer of Freeman Neosho Hospital in Missouri.
They're Building Half A Bridge to Save Science...
Today’s post is about science: what you can do now to protect it from unprecedented threats, and how your action is the first half of a long-term program that Congress must take up next. Let me start with describing the embryonic state of science advocacy. There are many well-meaning organizations: the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Research!America, and subject-specific organizations such as the Society for Neuroscience and the American Physical Society. Their general approach is to emphasize the common good: the remarkable value that science and innovation have provided to all Americans. However, these organizations are offering an incomplete solution. Before I start, a preliminary: If you already know about the threat, go ahead and weigh in with OMB at this link. Ideas about what to say come from Research!America and the American Physical Society. You have until Monday, July 13 at 11:59pm Eastern. Then come back here and read the rest of this post. Finally, get in touch with whoever is likely to be your next member of Congress in 2027. The threat: An end to merit-based science… The onslaught of attacks on science is accelerating. It’s not just cuts to grants, which was the last battle. That battle is not done yet, but there is a new and worse threat. Now comes a proposed public rule from the Office of Management and Budget. The rule would take decision-making power over grants away from experts and put it into the hands of political appointees. Former NIH official Elizabeth Ginexi wrote an excellent summary of what OMB is trying to do, which is codify the executive branch’s ability to award or terminate grants, for arbitrary cause or no stated cause. Since World War II, a necessary step in scientific grant-making has been consideration of scientific merit. This approach has made America into a dominant scientific superpower, the envy of the world. Of course, political considerations do come into the mix. The proposed rule tilts the balance dramatically away from merit. …but why? Many people have difficulty comprehending why Russell Vought and OMB would want to damage science in this way. If you’re a working scientist, you are likely to be particularly uncomprehending. Who would hurt an activity so self-evidently good? The answer is: this is part of the program to replace the rule of law with a personalist regime. OMB Director Russell Vought, a Christian nationalist, would like to implement what legal scholars call a “unitary executive,” and what I would call a dictatorship. Or if you like, a personalist authoritarian regime. I am a working scientist. This rule will debilitate my research. It may chill the speech of scientists for speaking freely in the public sphere. It is a form of personalizing power and decision-making within the executive branch. In short, it sacrifices science in the service of tyranny. To Russell Vought, a decrease in the quality of science might be an acceptable cost. He might even consider it an added benefit to weaken a pillar of soft U.S. power based on knowledge and skepticism. The professional societies are building half a bridge The nonprofits are asking you to make public comment. Public comment is like building the first half of a bridge. Before implementation, OMB is compelled by law to have a period of public comment. Rules have to be consistent with the law and the Constitution. They express the federal government’s stance toward how those laws will be implemented. When a presidential administration works in good faith, these public comments are used to inform their eventual action, and sometimes mitigate it. The comment period reflects our First Amendment right to petition our government. The executive branch is then supposed to take those comments into account - completing the bridge between us, the people, and our government. Project 2025 seeks to take away the second half of the bridge. We have to replace it. The first half of the bridge Organizations like AAAS, Research!America, and SfN are partly right. You should certainly comment. Their core model is earnest: if enough of us make noise, then we will achieve change. This idealistic point of view is offered in good faith. That point of view is also currently bullshit. The fundamental reason is that the federal rulemaking process has two parts: There has to be a period of public comment. OMB makes the final rule…but is free to disregard public comment. Oops. That’s a loophole. However, not all is lost. Congress can complete the bridge Congress has enormous power. That power suggests a roadmap for how to proceed. This lawless administration is still going to issue that rule. Nonetheless, your comments still play an essential role. Here are two steps you can take. Step 1: Send your comment to your Representative and Senator. Whether they are Democrats or Republicans, many of them support science. Whatever you wrote as public comment in the Federal Register, also send it to your member of Congress. You can include information about jobs in your district or state by looking at Joshua Weitz’s ScienceMatters interactive map. Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and give your town, zip code, or state, then deliver your message. Step 2: Politicize the hell out of science. You heard me, politicize it as an issue. We hear a lot from the old scientific establishment about science being nonpartisan. This is obsolete, sentimental thinking. Under normal conditions, it was true. But we can no longer make that assumption. We can keep on pretending, but we’re putting science at risk. There is a way forward. Rules are subordinate to the law…and Congress makes laws. Therefore Congress can step in. In this fall’s election, it is likely that Democrats will retake the House of Representatives. That puts at least one chamber of Congress in the hands of Democrats. They are far more inclined than the current Congress to investigate and legislate. This opens a path to undoing the damage. It also creates a permission structure for pro-science Republicans to find a way back from the brink. We have to encourage them. In the House, every district is up every two years. In your district, contact both of the major party candidates. If your state has a Senate race, contact those candidates too. Specifically mention the proposed OMB rule. Ask for two things: For this year’s appropriations process in August and September, ask that amendments be added to stop the implementation of the new rule. Those amendments should support peer-reviewed science and stop political interference. Looking ahead to next year, ask the Congressman/Congresswoman/Senator to work to hold hearings in 2027 on the importance and benefits of peer-reviewed science for health and prosperity. What hearings and amendments will accomplish Congress can use its investigatory power to summon heads of agencies and the director of the OMB. That will allow fact-finding regarding the consequences of this rule. Congress can override the rule through the appropriations process. They can write into statute a requirement to follow peer review and best scientific practices. In this way, Congress can stop the attacks on science. Postscript: Moving forward Now I have a request for you, to help me. As many of you know, I ran for Congress in order to save democracy and science. Although I did not win, that battle continues by other means. I met and heard from thousands of supporters both here in New Jersey and nationally. I learned that pro-science, pro-democracy activists have the potential to become a much greater force. In the weeks and months ahead, I will be building ways to harness that energy. I will be announcing those plans soon. In the meantime, an important step is to wind down the Congressional campaign, which has a few remaining bills to pay. Please help me retire that last debt.
Azerbaijan health officials deny mumps epidemic in Baku
The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Azerbaijan reports posts have been circulating on social networks about the widespread spread of epidemic mumps in Baku do not reflect the current epidemiological situation. Health officials say the epidemiological situation of mumps in the country is stable. The registered cases of infection consist of individual sporadic cases, no epidemics or mass spread have been recorded. The current situation is constantly under epidemiological surveillance by relevant medical institutions, and the necessary preventive and counter-epidemic measures are consistently implemented. Epidemic mumps is observed more often among unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated individuals. The disease is transmitted mainly by airborne droplets - during coughing, sneezing and close contact. The incubation period usually lasts 11–23 days. The main symptoms of the disease are fever, swelling and pain in the parotid salivary glands, discomfort when chewing and swallowing, general weakness, headache and loss of appetite. In most cases, mumps is mild and results in complete recovery. However, in rare cases, certain complications may develop in unvaccinated adolescents and adults. Therefore, timely vaccination is of particular importance in preventing the disease. Subscribe to Outbreak News TV on YouTube In accordance with the National Vaccination Schedule in Azerbaijan, the combined measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is administered to children at 12 months of age, with a booster dose at 6 years of age. The MMR vaccine is the most reliable and effective means of protection against mumps. The Ministry of Health recommends that parents check their children’s vaccination status. If for any reason the vaccination has been delayed or missed, it is recommended to contact the medical facility in your area of residence and consult a doctor. To protect yourself from the disease, it is recommended to follow preventive measures such as avoiding close contact with sick people, following personal hygiene rules, washing hands regularly, and frequently ventilating closed spaces. If you experience symptoms of the disease, avoid self-medication, seek medical attention, and do not return to work until you are fully recovered. Citizens are asked to refer only to official sources and not to believe or share unverified information circulating on social networks. Outbreak News Today is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe
The secret to becoming a sporting superpower - Live Updates
Norway’s minister responsible for sports reveals her country’s recipe for success.
Is the US trying to make scientists’ work so difficult that they simply give up?
New Trump administration rules would undermine longstanding research practices. It’s death by a thousand cuts
US, Canada strike deal to open bridge linking Detroit and Windsor after dispute delayed launch
The U.S. and Canada settled on favorable terms on how to administer tolls on the newly-constructed Gordie-Howe International Bridge. It will open on July 27.
Science news this week: Time emerges inside a mini-universe, scientists thicken Arctic ice, and one of the oldest graves of a free Black person in the US found
July 11, 2026: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend
Trump administration subpoenas Times journalists who reported security concerns around new Air Force One
Four New York Times journalists who reported on security concerns surrounding a Qatari-gifted jet serving as the new Air Force One have been subpoenaed by the Justice Department, the news outlet reported Friday.
‘Outrage’: Community and research allies blast Trump plan to politicize U.S. grants
The Office of Management and Budget has proposed a sprawling overhaul of a rule establishing the framework for federal financial assistance that would set up Trump and future presidents to politicize federal grantmaking, shifting grantmaking power to administration appointees and seizing broad latitude for the executive branch in the financial aid process. Wide-ranging opponents of the Trump administration proposal say it would tee up federal agencies to dismiss community needs and congressional intent on a partisan basis as they decide discretionary federal awards – with billions of dollars at stake.
A wave of young Miami Cubans disagrees with abuela about politics in the Trump era
As Donald Trump touts his Miami support, a surprisingly large number of younger Cubans and Cuban Americans recoil at the Trump administration’s tactics.
Mamdani administration aims to crack down on 'junk fees'
A second rule would make canceling subscriptions as easy as one click.
MARSP mini-grant brings science to life for third grade students
IRON MOUNTAIN — The Dickinson Country branch of the Michigan Association of Retired School Personnel, or MARSP, awarded a $250 mini-grant to Iron Mountain North Elementary third grade teacher Sommer Spencer. The funds were used to purchase materials for students to participate in Ecosystems in Action: Growing Scientists Through Hands-On Investigation, an science project that […]
The EPA promised a MAHA agenda. It has yet to materialize, frustrating activists
After Make America Healthy Again activists drew up a petition to get him fired, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin pledged to release a formal agenda of MAHA priorities his agency would pursue. But eight months after its first mention, the so-called MAHA agenda is nowhere to be found.
CA joins lawsuit against Trump’s cutting school mental health services funding
Attorney General Rob Bonta opposes Trump administration’s attempt to cut $200 million in grant money from high-need schools.
15 states sue Trump administration to block school mental health funding cuts
Fifteen states on Friday sued the Trump administration to prevent millions of dollars in cuts to school-based mental health funding. The new lawsuit is part of an ongoing legal battle between Democratic-led states and the U.S. Department of Education over a mental health grant program that Congress established following the 2018 school shooting at Marjory […]
Blue Cross to return as the NC State Health Plan’s third-party administrator
Blue Cross will be back as the the N.C. State Employee Health Plan's third party administrator in 2028. Plan trustees had dumped Blue Cross for the current administrator, Aetna, in 2023.
Bipartisan senators announce agreement with Trump administration on Russia sanctions
Bipartisan senators announced an agreement with the Trump administration on Friday to move ahead with an updated Russia sanctions package, but it remains unclear if President Donald Trump will directly back the bill’s passage.
For NC State Health Plan members, Blue Cross NC is back in 2028
Blue Cross NC served as the State Health Plan's third party administrator for 40 years until then-Treasurer Dale Folwell sought a change. Beginning in 2028, Blue Cross will again have that role.
SCORE Welcomes Four New Board Members to Advance Small Business Success
/PRNewswire/ -- SCORE, the nation's largest network of volunteer, expert business mentors and a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration...
SCORE Welcomes Four New Board Members to Advance Small Business Success
SCORE, the nation's largest network of volunteer, expert business mentors and a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), is pleased to announce the appointment of four new members to its board of directors.
Trump Administration Taps Climate Science Critic to Oversee National Climate Assessment
Matthew M. Wielicki has criticized the scientific consensus on global warming as alarmist. Now he’ll oversee a major federal report on the topic.
Lee Zeldin pushes back on long-range climate predictions, 'science denier' label
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin argued climate projections should be viewed as a range of possible outcomes and said disagreeing with long-term forecasts should not be viewed as science denial. (Credit: Nicholas Ballasy for Fox News Digital)
NC’s State Health Plan switching who administers its members’ benefits, again
The State Health Plan announced who won its health and pharmacy benefits contracts.
NASA is creating a fifth state of matter on the ISS, thanks to an upgrade to a mini-fridge-sized quantum lab
A new set of upgrades to the International Space Station’s Cold Atom Laboratory is allowing NASA to probe quantum mechanics at the coldest possible temperatures while in zero gravity.
Trump ousts last members of election assistance panel
The administration forced out the three remaining members of a bipartisan commission that supports states in elections
Mamdani official's planned meeting with Iran envoy shut down by State Department
A Mamdani administration official planned to meet Iran's UN ambassador before the State Department intervened and canceled the diplomatic encounter.
Health Innovations for the Restaurant Industry
Explore how CBIZ helped a restaurant identify, design, implement, and administer a revised health and benefits strategy.
MAGA's attack on science is even worse than it looks
In my post on America’s 250-year anniversary, I argued that respect for the individual was the “secret sauce” in the U.S.’ long-lasting preeminence among nations. But it was certainly not the only factor. There were plenty of institutional innovations that helped the U.S. stay on top — economically, militarily, and in terms of the attractiveness of its society. One of these was American science. Today we take things like the modern research university, government grants for science, public-to-private research spinoffs, etc. for granted, but a lot of that infrastructure wasn’t there before World War 2. It was either invented or scaled up massively by the U.S. government in the postwar period, led by far-sighted scientist-bureaucrats like Vannevar Bush (pictured above). If you want to read about this history, a good place to start would be Jonathan Gruber and Simon Johnson’s excellent book Jump-Starting America. Those scientific institutions didn’t exist in a vacuum, however. They were backed by the U.S. government’s abiding faith in the power of science — and, even more fundamentally, by deep popular trust in the scientific enterprise. Science gave us radar and the atom bomb in wartime, and in peacetime it gave us plastics, vaccines, cheap food, and a thousand other things that made our lives easier. Science was also the driver behind American industry — chemicals, aerospace, telecommunications, computers, electronics, and so on. We owed science our jobs, our livelihoods, our comfortable living standards, and our greatness and power as a nation. It’s little wonder that both political parties, even as they fought viciously over other issues, were steadfast in their support of science. For a long time, the only people who distrusted science were a hippie fringe on the left who disliked modernity (or thought they did, anyway), who also disliked American industry and American power, and who subscribed to an early version of degrowth environmentalism. America’s scientific enterprise is still strong, especially compared to the systems in Europe, Japan, Korea, and other developed countries. It has lost a lot of ground to China in a relative sense, but a lot of that is because of China’s incredible growth; as China has poured untold amounts of money and talent into its research labs, spending and output have overtaken the U.S. by some measures. There are a few ways in which China’s rise creates problems for American science — for example, top scientists can choose to work in China instead of in the U.S. — and of course there’s the concern that China’s technological strength will help its military to reign supreme. But overall, China’s rise in science should be good for American science, since American scientists can use Chinese discoveries for free and build on them. The much bigger problem is that the scientific enterprise America built during and after World War 2 is now being threatened with absolute decline. The biggest problem, of course, is that much of the country — the Republican half — has basically lost faith in the scientific enterprise. To what degree this loss of faith is justified is an open question, and deserves to be discussed openly. But the larger point — that the system that powered American dominance is under threat — is true either way. Most Americans still trust science, but MAGA Republicans don’t There’s a myth, popular in right-wing circles, that scientists have lost the trust of regular Americans — either due to the increasingly left-wing composition of academic departments, or to misbehavior during Covid, or to DEI-related research taking over science, etc. This also fits with a wider narrative that Americans are losing trust in all of our institutions. But it just isn’t true. Poll after poll shows that on the whole, Americans still trust scientists and want to spend more on science. For example, here’s a Pew poll from late 2025 showing that although about a fifth of Republicans did lose confidence in science in 2020, two thirds still have at least “a fair amount” of confidence: That same poll found that scientists are among America’s most trusted groups — even better trusted than the military! In fact, Americans trust scientists more than people in most other countries do. Other polls show that although Republican trust in science has dropped somewhat, Republican support for spending more on science remains very strong: A Pew poll in 2023 found the exact same thing: So when MAGA types tell you about scientists losing their credibility, or a drop in trust in science, they’re only talking about themselves. Whatever left-wing politicization of science happened during the Biden administration — and there was definitely some of that — it was not enough to make most Republicans lose faith in the scientific enterprise, or favor research cuts in order to purge unwanted ideology from the system. That doesn’t mean I think progressives should continue down the path of politicizing scientific research. They should not, and Biden made real missteps in this area. Objectivity clearly matters for public trust of science in the long term. But as of right now, there’s no crisis of trust in science, except among the smallish minority of people who are running around screaming that there’s a crisis of trust in science. But despite science’s overwhelming popularity and public trust, Trump and his administration are launching an unprecedented and devastating attack on American science — cutting funding, and forcing science projects to undergo ideological review by government commissars. Trump’s comprehensive attack on science
Senate investigates what health officials knew about COVID-19 vaccine side effects
A Senate review led by Sen. Ron Johnson is examining how federal officials handled reports of possible COVID-19 vaccine side effects.
OMB’s plan to increase political control of science faces stiff opposition on Capitol Hill
The Trump administration has a fight on its hands as it pushes forward with a plan to exert greater political control over government funding of science. To access this subscriber-only content please log in or subscribe.If your institution has a site license, log in with IP-login or register for a sponsored account.**Not all site licenses […]
Alaska governor vetoes new limits on political donations
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Thursday vetoed a bill that would have reimposed limits on the amount of money that individual people can donate to political candidates. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Alaska’s prior limits in 2021, and the Dunleavy administration declined to appeal the decision. Alaska has been without limits on […]
Ann Widdecombe: strictly, politics and performance
Former Conservative minister turned Reform UK spokeswoman Ann Widdecombe has died aged 78.
Lyster Army Health Clinic Releases Eight-Part Aviation Medicine Podcast Miniseries
Recognizing the busy, high-tempo lives of aircrews at the Home of Army Aviation, Lyster Army Health Clinic has released a comprehensive audio resource in their Aviation Medicine miniseries available now on the Lyster Health Talks podcast, hosted by Lt. Col. Leah Steder, commander of Lyster Army Health Clinic.
Ximena Lincolao, Chilean Minister of Science Technology, Knowledge, and Innovation, visits ESO Headquarters
Ximena Lincolao, Chilean Minister of Science Technology, Knowledge, and Innovation, visits ESO Headquarters
EPA promised a Make America Healthy Again agenda. It has yet to materialize, frustrating activists
After Make America Healthy Again activists drew up a petition to get him fired, Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin pledged to release a formal agenda of MAHA priorities his agency would pursue.
Foldable iPhone Ultra Battery Capacity Allegedly Registered by Supplier
Apple's battery supplier has registered two new battery cells believed to be destined for the company's rumored foldable iPhone, according to a prolific Chinese leaker. In a post on Weibo, the leaker known as Digital Chat Station said that the two cells have rated capacities of 1,921mAh and 2,962mAh, for a combined minimum rated capacity of 4,883mAh.
‘Action required,’ ‘Leadership chose, YOU’: The recipe behind fundraising emails that can spread like weeds
Campaigns and political causes are mining for small-dollar donations through a flood of email solicitations. Wind up on one list and the asks will multiply.
Germany: Bundestag passes controversial healthcare reform
The cost-cutting package passed Germany's lower house, with protests against it expected to take place. Elsewhere, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul will meet his Slovenian counterpart in Berlin. Follow DW for more.
Germany: Bundestag to vote on health care savings
The cost-cutting package is expected to pass Germany's lower house. Elsewhere, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul will meet Slovenian counterpart Tone Kajzer in Berlin. Follow DW for more.
Former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe dies at 78
Ann Widdecombe became a dominant pro-Brexit voice later in her career.
Bombing Iran, Then a Tentative Accord Didn’t Work. Does Trump Have a Plan C?
The administration appears to be reverting to an all-stick, no-carrot approach. But it has yet to answer why it believes economic warfare and bombing will yield a different result this time.
Trump Terminates Election Assistance Commission Members
By Bo Erickson and Erin Banco WASHINGTON, July 9 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday terminated the members of the Election Assistance Commission, the independent, federal commission that assists election administration officials nationwide, according to one person familiar with ...
Gov. Whitmer announces Michigan ranked #6 in best states for doing business
LANSING – On Thursday, Governor Gretchen Whitmer celebrated Michigan’s No. 6 ranking from CNBC’s America’s Top States for Business, earning a Top 10 ranking for a fifth time under Governor Whitmer’s leadership and representing a massive leap from No. 24 at the start of her administration in 2019. “Michigan is a place where everyone can […]
USDA lowers beef export sales by 90% amid growing doubts over data
The U.S. Department of Agriculture dramatically lowered its reported beef export sales for late June on Thursday, sparking fresh concerns about the quality of the agency's data after staffing losses as part of the Trump administration's reshaping of the federal government.
Watsonville Leaders Weigh Economic Impact of Digital Entertainment Growth
Watsonville officials are examining how streaming, digital entertainment and online spending are reshaping the local economy and consumer habits.
'Preaching as resistance': Dem minister behind Satanist wedding now linked to anti-Trump sermon guide
Sarah Trone Garriott authored a chapter in a 2018 "resistance preaching" guide that urged faith leaders to combat Trump and MAGA from the pulpit.
Proposed rule could gut American science, Penn researcher warns
The Trump administration is seeking not only to cut research funding, but to give political appointees veto power over how and what kinds of scientific study are permissible.
Health systems need data discipline for effective AI
Provider organizations that manage their data with the same rigor as financial assets will be better prepared for trustworthy AI, stronger decisions and safer care, says SE Health Chief Digital Officer Robert Slepin.
Small Business Administration offers low-interest loans for wind, drought damage
Residents affected by the storms in Idaho County and Shoshone County are eligible for fixed-rate, low-interest loans from the SBA.
US strikes on 5 Iranian provinces kill 14, injure 78: Health Ministry
Casualty figures come as fighting between US, Iran intensifies following collapse of ceasefire | Anadolu
Will federal changes to research funding promote ‘accountability’ or politicize science?
A retired Brown University professor says the Trump administration is weakening a system that relies on subject-matter experts to judge scientific merit.
Nominations open in the contest to be U.K. leader, with Andy Burnham likely the only candidate
Burnham is highly likely to be announced as the new Labour leader July 17, and to become prime minister after a meeting with King Charles III on July 20.
Trump to seek Supreme Court rehearing on birthright citizenship
President Donald Trump said he would ask the Supreme Court to rehear a case over birthright citizenship, a longshot bid to undo a ruling that went against his administration.
Trump Administration Removes, Then Restores, Ocean Science Instruments
PROVINCETOWN — After the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the “Saving the OOI Act” on June 17, the Trump administration backed off its plan to dismantle a $386-million ocean monitoring system […]
West Orange School Business Administrator on Paid Leave After $13.5M Deficit
The West Orange school business administrator has been placed on paid administrative leave, district officials confirmed in response to a public records request from Montclair Local.
New rule allows small businesses to double borrowing limit, access up to $10M in financing
Blossoming small businesses in the Beehive State and across the nation are set for a financing boost through a new rule from the U.S. Small Business Administration that went into effect July 4.
Gemini on Nest Hub redesigns weather and other knowledge answers
The Gemini for Home voice assistant is improving its Nest Hub and Smart Display experience with redesigned visual responses.
Which Pittsburgh bridge should be added to the science center's miniature railroad? Voting now open
It's time for the Kamin Science Center's miniature railroad to get a little bit bigger, and Pittsburghers can vote for which addition they want to see next.
Google Home app update makes automation easier, improves cameras, more
The latest batch of Google Home app updates are now rolling out, including new “Suggested Automations” to make it easier...
Google Photos rolling out ‘Video Remix’ powered by Gemini Omni
Google Photos is using Gemini’s “create anything from any input” model to offer a new Video Remix capability for fast and stylized editing.
WMass business leaders call for return of local SBA office
A coalition of local business groups sent a letter to Small Business Administration urging the re-opening of a Springfield branch office
Secretary Kennedy, Administrator Oz Launch ‘Make Hospital Food Healthier’ Pledge
HHS launched the Make Hospital Food Healthier Pledge, a nationwide initiative inviting hospitals to serve healthier, more nutritious meals.
Buffalo’s finance commissioner will resign next month
Jessica Brown, the city's commissioner of administration and finance, has submitted her resignation, which will go into effect on August 4.
Hungary moves to overhaul university models banned from Horizon Europe
Hungary’s new government is aiming to overhaul the governance model of the institutions and universities that lost access to Horizon Europe and Erasmus+ funds “in a short timeframe,” according to Péter Horváth, the new state secretary for science policy and innovation. “As of today, the two non-university foundation-controlled institutions under my remit have been transformed,” he told Science|Business. “We hope the universities will follow and that this will be enough to satisfy the EU’s demands.”Under the previous government, led by Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party, many academic and scientific institutions were restructured and made into special public trust foundations, with members strongly linked to the government given lifelong mandates and significant decision-making powers with little oversight. The European Commission deemed that this undermined academic freedom and transparency in the country, leading to a ban on 34 institutions in 2022, including 21 universities, which saw academics in Hungary lose access to Horizon Europe grants. The new Hungarian government, elected in May and led by Péter Magyar and his Tisza Party, has promised to dismantle this governance model and restore the institutions to EU programmes. As a result, the European Commission has promised to return access to the Erasmus+ education mobility programme, but so far no concrete agreement has been made on the Horizon Europe programme for research and innovation. Hungary has already made legislative changes in June to allow the institutions to be reformed and set a timeline for the implementation.The non-university foundations, which are mainly cultural centres such as the Foundation for Hungarian Culture or the Makovecz Campus Foundation, will all be dissolved by August 31 this year, a date tied to EU-set milestones that Hungary must meet to unlock frozen funds, with control transferred to relevant ministries. Meanwhile, the universities will have until 31 August 2027. For each university foundation, the government will set the dissolution date and the body to take over operations. There is no final decision on a permanent new model for the universities, according to Hungarian MEP Eszter Lakos, who is shadow rapporteur for the Horizon Europe specific programme, a separate piece of legislation detailing implementation rules for the EU’s next research programme, due to start in 2028. “The aim of the transition year is to settle this with [the universities], not to impose a model, and not to put them under state control,” she told Science|Business. “The goal is to give academic independence back to universities.”There are three models that are most likely to be implemented. One would be a return to a traditional, state-run model. Another could be a newer, more self-standing public institution. A third option would be a reformed version of the foundation models that meet EU standards. According to Lakos, the dismantling of the system put in place by the Orbán government is well underway and if all goes according to plan, Hungary could regain access to EU research money by the start of the next academic year in 2027. “I believe that the Hungarian government is doing the necessary changes so the universities could return as beneficiaries to Horizon from the next school year,” she said. In the meantime, “the universities, institutes and cultural assets carry on under proper public stewardship rather than a handful of unaccountable trustees,” said Lakos. The laws passed in June impose new safeguards: board terms are capped at four years and renewable only once, appointments are made through open competitions and sitting politicians cannot join joining these boards.It remains unclear whether a domestic science funding programme set up as a back-up scheme by the former government following the EU funding ban, called HU-rizon, could be continued. “This programme should never have had to have been established in the first place, but it has proven to be quite popular,” he said. “I am considering continuing this programme with a refined focus on helping international collaborations.”Re-organising the research network One of the first priorities for Horváth and his cabinet is to resolve questions over the future of the Hungarian Research Network, Hun-Ren. The network of academic institutes was taken away from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 2019 and turned into a quasi-private organisation, with similarities in its governance to the public trust foundations.Horváth and his team have consulted over 5,000 representatives from the network and the conclusion is broad unhappiness with the directors of all the institutes involved. “We have presented the results to the president and the chief executive of the network and this is currently being discussed,” Horváth said. The plan is to re-integrate the network back into the Academy of Sciences but in an improved way, “learning from mistakes of the past,” he added. The government also wants to reintegrate four humanities and social science research centres into the network that the previous government had transferred to Eötvös Loránd University. The transfer brought sharp criticism from the academic community, with a group of Hungarian research heads, including European Research Council grant recipients, sending an open letter to Orbán warning that the transfer would “cause historically significant harm to the entirety of Hungarian scientific life.” The transfer was “one of the biggest shames in Hungarian research in the past 20 years,” Horváth said. “We want to immediately re-integrate them back into the research network and to regain the trust of these institutions, because the way they were treated was really unfair.”Another pressing issue is the Élvonal Excellence Research and Talent Development Foundation, led by Nobel laureate Ferenc Krausz. The foundation signed a financing agreement with the former government earlier this year for a budget of over €730 million over the next five years. The goal is to create a world-class centre to attract top talent from abroad and to develop local researchers. But there was little transparency about this foundation, and news of its huge budget, which is nearly as much as Hungary’s entire research budget, caused a stir in the media following the recent elections. Another issue is that, as with the foundation boards of the institutes banned from Horizon Europe, there was little-to-no oversight of decisions led by Krausz. “It was an excellent idea but an unacceptable execution,” Horváth said of the foundation. “The fact that this is out of the Hungarian funding scheme, mostly concentrating on one person who decides on the budget is unacceptable for us.”The government plans to merge the centre with the National Research, Development and Innovation Office, the country’s R&D funding agency, with a reduced budget. Horváth is hopeful that Krausz will still be involved. The new government’s R&D goalsA phrase that crops up regularly during the discussion with Horváth is “democratic process.” The new state secretary is determined to involve Hungary’s research community in shaping future policies. This marks a departure from the previous government’s approach, and several people in Hungary’s research community have commented on the openness of the new government. In terms of concrete goals, Horváth and his team already have plans. He wants to create a new science fund in Hungary, based on the best practices of other European countries. The fund would not be tied to annual government budgets and would provide long-term, stable financing. “If we were to succeed in creating this fund, then I think it would be one of the biggest achievements for me in this period of government,” Horváth said. On the innovation side, he is looking into how best to bring in the private sector. “We want to make sure that we are working with the private sector to support innovation,” Horváth said. One of his big aims is to introduce entrepreneurship teaching into high schools. Hungary already has a reputable national academy offering research and innovation training in the field of natural sciences, and Horváth wants to expand this to all disciplines and across the whole country. “One of the main ways to elevate our innovative businesses is to teach our children to be innovative,” he said. “This will probably need ten years to pay off, but this is what we should do. Our aim is to make Hungary strong in our region, and this is what is needed.” Related articlesHungary’s Horizon Europe performance in numbersCommission unlocks Erasmus+ cash for Hungary, Horizon could be next‘Academic Huxit.’ Hungarian researchers speak out on impact of EU ban A more difficult task will be funding. The new government is aiming to increase research spending to 2% of the GDP by 2030, and then increase it to 3% in line with EU objectives. Currently, spending sits around 1.3%. But according to Horváth, the current budget, inherited from the previous government, is “heavily in the negative,” so any plans to increase research spending will have to start next year. Achieving 2% by 2030 already needs a big push, almost doubling the research budget. “This is something we’d definitely like to reach, and something I can see us achieving,” he said. “From the 2030s, I’d like to see an innovative generation growing up that can help us reach the 3% target.” Positivity in the new governmentDespite the many challenges facing Horváth and his team, the mood is positive. “It feels a bit like a start-up right now. Everyone is working 24/7, day and night, trying to do as much as they can. There is a lot of energy,” he said. It is a big change for the state secretary who, like many in his cabinet, is coming from a background in research or business, and not in politics. “Six weeks ago, I was sitting with my microscope and my research PhDs, so it’s been a big change for me,” said the computer scientist, who was previously the director of the Institute of Biochemistry at the Hun-Ren Biological Research Centre in Hungary and worked at the Institute for AI for Health at Helmholtz Munich. But he is relishing the task to transform the country’s R&D landscape. “We feel enormous support from the Hungarian people, but also from Europe,” he said. “We’ve received a lot of letters of support from around Europe. There is big trust there, and huge responsibility on our side. We want to get everything back on track, and there’s a lot to do.”
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