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California’s stem cell and gene therapy agency today approved spending $207 million more on training and education, sidestepping the possibility of using the cash to directly support revolutionary research that has been slashed and endangered by the Trump administration.
Directors of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) unanimously approved the expansion, despite the fact that it has already trained 4,600 people in a field that is now experiencing thousands of layoffs.
CIRM board member Kim Barrett of UC Davis strongly endorsed the training and education proposals, which extend down into high schools.
Barrett, vice dean of research at the school, spoke about the “pivotal importance” of the CIRM training “especially in light of comments in the public sphere about this being a sort of either-or, and that, at this particular moment in time, (CIRM) should be focusing on shoring up our research grants rather than educational programs.”
“It’s not an either-or. It is value added,” she said. “It is certainly the case that we are at a very challenging time with respect to federal research funding. But that also...