Proposed OMB rule aims at the heart of the U.S. research enterprise—and scientists are fighting back

Here are the battle lines:

The White House Office of Management and Budget has published a “Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance,” a proposed rule that seeks to fundamentally redraw the ground rules for all federally funded research.

On the other side are America’s scientists who aren’t just crying foul—they are readying for a political fight. 

The proposed rule, which appeared in the Federal Register May 29, centralizes control over awarding federal funds, listing “specific principles” that must be applied to review of research programs of all federal entities, including NIH.