The Funding of Policy-Driving $cience: A Rutgers Timeline
The Funding of Policy-Driving $cience: A Rutgers Timeline
According to Rutgers, research is “the backbone of a great state university” and boasts:
$929,300,000 in research grants and sponsored programs
$220,600,000 in NIH awards
1,267 active issued worldwide patents
450+ clinical trials supported at any given time
But what is the true impact of Rutger’s accomplishments? I mean, beyond the influx of cash and awards for the institution itself?
A look at the recent history of Rutger’s lucrative research and policy feedback loop tells a story about how institutions - funded by regulatory agencies and pharmaceutical companies - create $cience-driven narratives that determine how we live. Many of the study designs and premises are flawed and the outcomes are predictable.
Rutgers is very proud of it’s critical role in the COVID-19 pandemic (which I find pretty scary) and it profited handsomely from the crisis. Based on some of their other research (i.e. cancer, Alzheimers), they seem to know where this is all leading and they’re setting themselves up to cash in.
A Rutgers COVID Research and Policy Timeline
2017
June 19, 2017 – Rutgers launches TechAdvance funding program to advance inventions toward commercialization, offering grants of up to $100,000 for Rutgers faculty and students to help advance promising technologies.
2018
July 24, 2018 - Rutgers, RWJ Barnabas consummate $1 Billion deal for large academic health system
“Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences Chancellor Brian Strom said the added capacity of Barnabas will have an impact on the bottom line by helping the new entity get a larger slice of grants and clinical studies.”
2019
March 11, 2019 - Rutgers-Led Team Awarded $29 Million NIH Grant for Statewide Translational Research Institute… The clinical and translational program at Rutgers will be known as NJ ACTS: New Jersey Alliance for Clinical and Translational Science. Additional funding from the institutions will grow the program to about $45 million.
“The ultimate goal is bringing more evidence-based treatments to more patients more quickly.”
2020
January 23, 2020 – Rutgers monitoring Covid-19
January 30, 2020 - New Rutgers president will get $1.2M, a house and a car when he takes over. Here’s the list of perks
March 4, 2020 - Following the creation of a COVID-19 Task Force, IT working group held its first meeting about IT steps and strategy related to the pandemic.
March 7, 2020 - COVID-19 Task Force, led by Tony Calcado, Rutgers COO, charged to develop plans that anticipate all probable scenarios of COVID-19’s effect on our missions of teaching, research, and service. “The Task Force has the authority to marshal any and all resources necessary to protect the health and safety of the members of our community in response to COVID-19.”
March 10, 2020 – Rutgers announces that classes will be cancelled through spring break.
(March 21, 2020 – Gov Murphy signs “Stay at Home” order)
March 25, 2020 – Rutgers establishes Center for COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness Institutional resources from RBHS, Rutgers’ Office of Research and Economic Development and Rutgers-New Brunswick will be made available to the new center in an effort to secure external funding for additional research.
April 1, 2020 - Rutgers Launches Genetic Testing Service for New Coronavirus
April 21, 2020 - Rutgers University launches the nation’s largest study of health care workers exposed to Covid-19
May 18, 2020 - Governor Murphy unveiled a multi-stage coronavirus reopening plan and announced that the state was entering the initial stage, which relaxed restrictions on low-risk activities.
May 29, 2020 - Two significant federal (NIH) grants will enable Rutgers to bring treatments and products to patients “more efficiently”.
July 26, 2020 – Rutgers announces mostly remote fall semester
July 20, 2020 - A team of Rutgers professors develop the COVID Nearby app to help monitor the spread of coronavirus
August 27, 2020 – Rutgers researchers develop app to protect first responders from Covid-19.
September 1, 2020 – Rutgers selected as site for Moderna Covid Vaccine clinical trial in collaboration with NIH. Rutgers recruiting healthy adults for Moderna Covid-19 Vaccine Phase 3 clinical trial ( the COVE Study)
October 3, 2020 - Rutgers Medical Schools' Dean Explores the Importance of Medical Research Participation in Minority Communities
(October 4, 2020 – Great Barrington Declaration)
October 15, 2020 – Rutgers awarded $5 million NIH grant to launch outreach campaigns and expand access to COVID-19 testing for underserved and vulnerable communities in New Jersey.
November 16, 2020 - NIH-funded Rutgers study finds nurses have the highest prevalence of infection https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12879-020-05587-2
November 17, 2020 - Rutgers to evaluate the safety and efficacy of J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
November 30, 2020 - Rutgers clinical trial assessing Triple Combination Antiviral Coronavirus Therapy (TriACT), the combination of nitazoxanide, ribavirin and hydroxychloroquine to treat people 21 or older who are infected with SARS-CoV-2 and are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic.
December 10, 2020 - Rutgers Research Identifies Safe and Effective Method of Delivering Medicines to the Lungs (a method that could lead to a safe and effective aerosol vaccine to prevent COVID-19 and to treat other respiratory infections)
December 11, 2020 – FDA authorized EUA for Covid vaccine
December 15, 2020 – Coronavirus Vaccine Clinic Begins at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
2021
January 26, 2021 - Creator of first coronavirus saliva-based test, which received FDA EUA, dies unexpectedly.
February, 2021 – J&J applies for FDA EUA.
February 4, 2021 - Rutgers scientist invents early treatment for COVID-19 to prevent severe complications and hospitalizations in patients with prediabetes or diabetes mellitus using a novel ecological approach focused on managing the gut microbiota.
February 4, 2021 - Rutgers University and RWJBarnabas Health execute Integrated Practice Agreement (IPA), creating one of the largest integrated health systems in the country.
February 10, 2021 - Rutgers: Is it safe to get the Covid-19 vaccine while pregnant?
March 4, 2021 - Workforce development team aids Covid-19 vaccine trials
March 8, 2021 - Rutgers researchers design new rapid test.
March 15, 2021 - $1,604,701 in NIH funding for Expanding Clinical and Translational approaches to Predict Severe Illness in Children with COVID-19
March 17, 2021 - Rutgers: Why COVID-19 vaccine efficacy differs and why it doesn’t matter.
March 19, 2021 - New Report: Vaccine Hesitancy and Acceptance Among Parents (A collaboration between scholars at Rutgers, Northeastern, Harvard and Northwestern universities)
March 25, 2021 – Rutgers requires Covid vaccine for students.
April 5, 2021 - Researchers recruit participants to foster relationships in the community and better understand pandemic’s impact (NIH study)
April 6, 2021 - Rutgers Researchers Receive $443,000 NIH RADx-Rad Award to Develop Rapid Sensor to Detect COVID-19 and Other Infectious Diseases within a Person’s Breath
April 16, 2021 - Rutgers Expert Addresses Questions on COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout and Variant Issues
April 28, 2021 - Rutgers researchers collaborate to examine disproportionate threat of COVID-19 and Alzheimer’s Disease in older African Americans ($643,396 from NIH’s National Institute on Aging (NIA) to study cognitive, neural, and immunological consequences of COVID-19 in older African Americans but also how those consequences can impact this population’s risk for Alzheimer’s Disease)
May 3, 2021 - Rutgers Professor Testifies on the Role of Misinformation in Vaccine Hesitancy
May 6, 2021 – Rutgers selected as a clinical trial site for the Pfizer-BioNTech study to evaluate COVID-19 vaccine in children ages 6 months to 11 years.
May 13, 2021 - Rutgers reports first instance of Covid-19 triggering recurrent blood clots in arms. Study suggests clinicians consider testing for deep vein thrombosis and COVID-19 in patients who present with complaints of unexplained swelling.
May 20, 2021 - Rutgers ranks among the biggest contributors to a historic crowdsourced computing effort to search for COVID-19 treatments
May 26, 2021 – Guide to Returning to Rutgers (prepared by Executive Vice President Antonio Calcado and his team at Institutional Planning & Operations)
May 27, 2021 – Letter from President Halloway
(June 2021 – Growing evidence of myocarditis in young people.)
June 9, 2021 - Rutgers/BigTen Study: Cardiac MRI effective for detecting heart inflammation in athletes who had COVID-19.
June 18, 2021 – Rutgers: Advancing Together Towards the “New Normal”
June 23, 2021 - Two Rutgers–Camden professors are leading projects funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to combat COVID-19. Andrey Grigoriev, awarded a $188,253 NSF Rapid Response Research grant to study the origins of COVID-19 to anticipate how to stop its future mutations
June 30, 2021 – Rutgers to test whether probiotics can increase immune protection against Covid-19
July 8, 2021 - Rutgers: Increased Physical Contact Does Not Infer Stronger Social Support, Data Indicates
August 11, 2021 – Why it’s important to be vaccinated at Rutgers.
August 25, 2021 -Rutgers campaign to use barbers as community ambassadors for the safety and importance of the COVID-19 vaccine
(October 11, 2021 – Finland, Norway and Sweden suspend use of Moderna in young people as precaution)
October 25, 2021 - All Rutgers University faculty and staff must be vaccinated by Dec. 8
November 2, 2021 – Rutgers: FDA/EUA for Pfizer in kids 5-11
November 9, 2021 – Combining Ancient and Modern Medicine, Scientists Use Cupping to Deliver COVID-19 Vaccine in Lab Tests
November 22, 2021 - Rutgers study: Covid-19 testing kits can measure oral microbiome in saliva.
November 24, 2021 - Rutgers, the only New Jersey site for the Pfizer Covid pediatric vaccine trial, will enroll additional children ages 6 months to 4 years
December 7, 2021 - Rutgers leads national collaboration to study long-term effects of Covid-19 in children. Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School will serve as a national hub for pediatric sites as part of the NIH's $470 Million RECOVER research initiative. Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) is projected to receive approximately $30 million
2022
January 25, 2022 - Rutgers team develops rapid screening tests for Omicron and other SARS-CoV-2 variants.
January 27, 2022 – Rutger’s Antonio Calcado, Brian Strom and others author How One University Harnessed Internal Knowledge and Expertise to Effectively Combat the COVID-19 Pandemic” Published in The Electronic Journal of Knowledge Management, the case study demonstrates the role institutions of higher education can play in addressing significant national and community issues when they collaborate and leverage their diverse expertise and intellectual resources.
March 17, 2022 - $250,000 research grant for Development and Clinical Validation of a Multiplex PCR Assay for Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Viral Infection
April, 2022 - Rutgers: A Novel Method of Generating Live-Attenuated, Replication-Defective DNA Viruses for Vaccine Development
April 12, 2022 - Rutgers researchers outline need for new approah to Covid-19 vaccine testing (introduces Combining Conventional and Challenge trials (CCC) approach)
May 12, 2022 - Rutgers has been selected as a clinical trial site for the global Pfizer-BioNTech research study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a potential oral antiviral treatment for children under 18 years with COVID-19 who have health conditions that put them at risk for severe illness.
May 16, 2022 - $249,999 NSF funding for Rapid and Sensitive Nucleic Acid Assay for Point-of-Care Detection of Infectious Diseases
May 18, 2022 – Rutgers Pair Creates Monitoring Toolkit to Speed Production of Biologic Drugs
May 24, 2022 - 2022 NJ Immunization Conference - Immunizing Against Misinformation: Sharing Solutions (NJDOH/Rutgers School fo Public Health)
(June 2022 - Global Covid Summit, an international alliance of over 17,000 doctors and scientists, asserts that “School masking, testing, quarantine, and COVID-19 injection mandates should cease immediately.”)
June 10, 2022 - Rutgers Updated Covid Protocol requires face coverings and proof of vaccination or COVID-19 negative PCR test for all indoor teaching spaces, libraries, and clinical settings.
July 7 - 8, 2022 - Rutgers hosts BioManufacturing Innovation Summit “to drive meaningful innovation, impact, and value creation in Bio-Manufacturing and ensure resilient, adaptable supply chains, efficient re-shoring, on-shoring, and cutting-edge pharma manufacturing solutions to meet demand and accelerate the development and production of essential novel therapeutics and vaccines, in the US and throughout the globe.’
August 8, 2022 - Rutgers Study: Triple Therapy “halved the risk of death among patients hospitalized with severe COVID”. The study compared outcomes for 110 patients treated with remdesivir and dexamethasone and 81 treated with both those medications plus baricitinib at Saint Peter’s between June 2020 and June 2021.
September 6, 2022 - Rutgers Associate Professor co-leads project to increase Covid vaccination and combat health misinformation through “community-crafted” messaging (funded by the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) Mercury Project, which creates “social and behavioral science to build vaccine demand and healthier information environments".)
September 19, 2022 - Rutgers: “It’s a matter of when” Getting ready for pathogen X
October 3, 2022 - Rutgers: No significant increase in Guillian Barré syndrome after Covid-19 vaccination.
November 4, 2022 - Rutgers selected as a clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent COVID-19 vaccines in children under age 5.
November 18, 2022 - Rutgers scientists develop new approach to stopping viral infections: a so-called live-attenuated, replication-defective DNA virus vaccine that uses centanamycin to generate an altered virus for vaccine development.
March 14, 2023 – New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology (CSIT) host panel discussion on the Use of Academic and Federal Core Research/Lab Facilities in New Jersey and provide an overview of the CSIT Catalyst R&D Voucher Grant Program.
March 15, 2023 - Rutgers Board Approves Research and Medical Center. The estimated cost of the first HELIX building is $732 million… The Rutgers portion of the project (estimated $567M) will be paid largely through $200 million of federal American Rescue Plan funds provided by the state and approximately $190 million in tax credits administered through the New Jersey Economic Development Authority Aspire program. Rutgers will finance the remaining $180 million of the cost through tax-exempt and taxable bonds.
(March 2023 –The World Health Organization’s vaccine experts have revised their global Covid-19 vaccination recommendations, and healthy kids and teenagers considered low priority may not need to get a shot.)
April 3, 2023 – Rutgers study: Childhood asthma declines during Covid-19 Pandemic. “According to researchers, while more needs to be learned about why new asthma diagnoses fell so substantially, masking and keeping children separated during the pandemic may be the reason.” Coauthors of the study include Brian Strom, the chancellor of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences.
(April 18, 2023 – Original Covid vaccines no longer authorized by FDA)
May 2, 2023 - Rutgers Covid vaccine may provide long lasting protection (here’s my take: Rutgers sings praises of new and improved COVID shot tested on mice and hamsters)
August 14, 2023 - Rutgers scientists develop efficient spray technique for bioactive materials. “The process could usher in an era of shot-free vaccines, researchers say”
August 22, 2023 - Rutgers requiring students and staff receive the COVID-19 vaccine in order to be enrolled for the upcoming fall semester.
December 11, 2023 – Brian L. Strom: “Get your flu shot today”
2024
(January 3, 2024 – FL Surgeon General calls for halt of Covid vaccines)
January 9, 2024 - Rutgers racing to discover a better Paxlovid (Disclosure: Rutgers has patented Jun12682, along with the other 84 drug candidates, and is looking for partners to help move the drug candidate forward through further stages of testing and development.)
January 17 - May 22, 2024 - Project Echo/Rutgers: Overcome Vaccine Barriers Through Community Action “Join a panel of experts in a collaborative series to learn more about Vaccine Hesitancy, Addressing COVID-19, Social Determinants of Health, and New Jersey Public Health Priorities.”
January 18, 2024 – Rutgers researcher develops handheld WBC tracker through RizLab Health Inc spinoff company
January 23, 2024 – Rutgers Health researchers develop “IntelliGenes” software to predict diseases
March 10, 2024 – Rutgers is the last college in NJ still requiring Covid vax.
(March 21, 2024 - Lawmakers, Experts Decry Ongoing COVID-19 Shot Mandates at 48 Colleges)
March 26, 2024 - Join us for the next webinar of the Road to Commercialization Symposium Series! Topic: Communicating with Impact and the Art of Storytelling
But what happens when a Rutgers scientist speaks outside the lines??
March 15, 2024 - ‘Lab-leak’ proponents at Rutgers accused of defaming and intimidating COVID-19 origin researchers “Letter by 12 COVID-19 scientists says social media attacks violate university policy and could incite physical harm”
We have an institutional groupthink pandemic. Sponsored by Pfizer (and others)
Very interesting….I was just describing this same phenomenon in my neck of the woods….bus Northeastern University and the Gates Foundation.
Have a look…
https://research.northeastern.edu/bill-and-melinda-gates-foundation/
And then here:
https://research.northeastern.edu/research-covid-19-updates/funding-agency-related-guidance/
And when you look into the satellite offices/locations listed under this “initiative” you see the scope of engagement and the reach of the tentacles….into the private sector as well as government at the state, local, national and global levels.
State universities serving their population?! Ha! More like state entities serving the philanthropaths and their underlying business interests and models.
And I pay close attention to my state’s tech overlord due to his reach (all the way to Tedros, et al) and his association with Gates.
https://open.substack.com/pub/lauragarcia/p/tech-overlord-roux-of-the-northeast?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
And one should note…this is the model I believe they are deploying as they seek to remake the US and the west in their technocratic image.
https://www.cfr.org/blog/can-maine-model-bring-innovation-economy-rest-america
Evidence based? Run for the hills.
New Rutgers science lab isolates the Benjamins virus with new electron telescope.