Comment from K R

I am an Assistant Professor in Biology at the University of Iowa. I have recently started my research lab studying fundamental cellular processes underlying birth defects, wound healing, and cancer metastasis. I am writing to oppose the proposed revisions to §200.205 and §200.432. The proposed change to section 200.205 puts discretionary grants under the review of a political appointee, who may have no scientific background. The ability to fund my lab, train the next generation of scientists, and make a meaningful impact on human health depends on my ability to secure scientific funding. These decisions should be made by qualified experts who are my peers, not political officials. Section 200.432 changes would require pre-approval for conference attendance included in the terms of the award. Conferences are the primary means to communicate our scientific findings and make connections that can strengthen our collective research abilities. Being able to time conference travel with recent or upcoming publications can make a huge different in how well the findings get disseminated, and that is impossible to do well in advance. These and other proposed changes would extremely weaken our country's scientific prowess, which has been a huge strength for decades. I strongly urge to withdraw the proposed revisions to §200.205 and §200.432.