Luther Testifies for Closer Engagement with Federal Government on Research Oversight

In an appearance before a US House Committee on Science, Space and Technology subcommittee, James Luther, associate vice president of finance for Duke, reaffirmed the research university communities’ commitment to working with federal partners to effectively regulate federal research.

At the same time, Luther encouraged the subcommittee to pursue legislation that would increase the engagement between universities and the federal government when developing and implementing new regulations. For example, two bills that higher education associations have expressed support for would create a Research Policy Board. As proposed, the board would be composed of federal and university officials and would be charged with reviewing existing and proposed regulations with the goal of reducing regulatory burden. 

In his written testimony, Luther said the Research Policy Board would facilitate “critical discussions with the research community, which coupled with congressional and GAO oversight, would support mutual accountability and increase the likelihood of achieving thoughtful and effective policy outcomes.”

As Luther stated in his testimony, universities’ share of funding for research constitutes 23.5 percent of total academic research and development, an important part of the nation’s $63 billion investment in research.

The hearing, titled “Academic Research Regulatory Relief: A Review of New Recommendations,” was held by the Subcommittee on Research and Technology, with Chairwoman Barbara Comstock (R-VA) presiding. Representative Dan Lipinski (D-IL, G ’98) is the subcommittee’s ranking member.