NEC Weighs in on Importance of Research Funding in FY26 Appropriations
On September 17, 2025, the New England Council sent a letter to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate and House Appropriation Committees thanking them for recent support of federal research funding and strongly urging them to maintain critical funding support for federal research and development (R&D) programs across all agencies for the 2026 fiscal year.
In the letter, the Council stressed that this funding drives innovation, creates jobs, spurs economic activity, and perhaps most importantly, leads to incredible new treatments and technologies that have an impact not just in our region, but indeed across the country and around the globe. In total, he letter notes that New England received $4.8286 billion in NIH Awards in FY2023, which supported 40,291 jobs and $10.652 billion in economic activity, and the region was also the recipient of some $766 million in NSF funding in FY2024.
In addition to this letter, the Council has also joined the Business for Federal Research Funding Coalition, a national coalition of Chambers of Commerce and business associations former to advocate for maintaining and increasing research funding in the federal budget and beyond. The Council participated in several Capitol Hill meetings this week as part of the coalition’s fly-in.
If you have any questions about this issue, or the Council’s Higher Education Committee, please contact Mariah Healy, Director of Federal Affairs, at mhealy@newenglandcouncil.com.