Today, AAI released its first annual Advocacy Agenda, which was developed by the AAI Committee on Public Affairs (CPA) and approved by the AAI Council to clearly articulate the organization’s advocacy goals and priorities for the coming year. The Advocacy Agenda will be reviewed and modified annually by the CPA to reflect emerging challenges and opportunities. The 2026 Agenda highlights AAI’s commitment to increasing federal investment in biomedical research, strengthening the nation’s public health and vaccine policy, supporting the immunological workforce, and optimizing NIH.
AAI will carry out the work required to reach these goals through continued commitment to existing programs, implementing new programs, and building on advocacy initiatives launched in 2025—including the AAI Congressional Briefing series and the AAI Position Statement program. One goal of these efforts is to elevate immunology’s visibility on Capitol Hill and ensure policymakers have access to timely, expert scientific guidance.
Increasing Federal Biomedical Research Funding
A core goal of the 2026 Agenda is to strongly advocate for robust funding increases across key federal agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). AAI emphasizes the importance of sustaining strong support for foundational biomedical research and ensuring adequate support for facilities & administrative (F&A) costs to maintain the scientific infrastructure on which discoveries depend.
Strengthening Public Health and Vaccine Policy
AAI will continue to advocate for sound, science‑driven vaccine policy. Any changes to vaccine policy, including to the federal immunization schedule, should be evidence‑based, formed through long-standing trusted processes, and based on input from experts and other key stakeholders. This is an essential step in restoring public trust and to protecting public health.
Supporting the Immunological Workforce
AAI priorities include promoting the importance of immunological research across NIH Institutes and Centers, providing strong support for trainees and early career researchers, and improving data collection to better understand and address the needs of the immunology community across career stages.
Optimizing NIH and Reducing Barriers to Research
The Agenda calls for working to safeguard NIH’s rigorous and time-tested peer‑review system. As discussions about possible NIH reorganization continue, AAI will advocate for any reforms to be thorough, data‑driven, and reflect continued and robust support for immunological research.
The Agenda also underscores the essential role of animals in immunological research, and AAI will advocate for the continued humane use of critical animal models. Finally, the Agenda highlights the ongoing need to reduce administrative and regulatory burden, freeing scientists to devote more time to research and discovery.
Executing the Advocacy Agenda
The AAI Committee on Public Affairs and AAI government affairs staff will work in tandem to develop further strategies and tactics to work toward the goals articulated in the Agenda.
AAI members are encouraged to reach out to AAI Director of Government Affairs Jake Schumacher (jschumacher@aai.org) with any questions.
