National Science Foundation
May 1, 2014
Excessive regulations are consuming scientists' time and wasting
taxpayer dollars, says a report released today by the National Science
Board (NSB), the policymaking body of the National Science Foundation
and advisor to Congress and the President.
"Regulation and
oversight of research are needed to ensure accountability, transparency
and safety," said Arthur Bienenstock, chair of the NSB task force that
examined the issue. "But excessive and ineffective requirements take
scientists away from the bench unnecessarily and divert taxpayer dollars
from research to superfluous grant administration. This is a real
problem, particularly in the current budget climate."
Thousands of
federally funded scientists responded to NSB's request to identify
requirements they believe unnecessarily increase their administrative
workload. The responses raised concerns related to financial management,
grant proposal preparation, reporting, personnel management, and
institutional review boards and animal care and use committees (IRBs and
IACUCs). Read more
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