For years, research institutions operated under relatively defined federal standards for reviewing high-risk biological research. A new government-wide policy shifts toward a broader risk-based approach that requires universities and laboratories to make more of those decisions themselves, with significant compliance consequences if they get them wrong. Here with a breakdown of where the rules are changing is Cara Baer, partner at Butler Snow.

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The traditional Ph.D. model was built around academic research careers. As industry absorbs more advanced scientific talent, NSF is testing whether a different approach could better align training with opportunity. Here to walk through NSF's pilot program is Sr. Erwin Gianchandani, Assistant Director for Technology Innovation and Partnerships at the National Science Foundation.

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Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

• The people earning STEM Ph.D.s aren't ending up where doctoral education was originally built to send them
• The federal government is asking universities and laboratories to make more decisions about biological research risks before Washington gets involved
• NASA's newest space telescope wasn't built to zoom in on a single mystery. It was built to show astronomers more of the universe at once

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The long journey to establish a single sign-on capability for federal services has taken a big step forward. The Office of Management and Budget is mandating that agencies transition to the login.gov platform for many public facing websites over the next two years. Federal News Network executive editor Jason Miller joins me now with more on OMB's latest memo.

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Artificial intelligence may become a more prominent part of the federal hiring process. The Office of Personnel Management is encouraging agencies to more widely adopt AI tools in their recruitment efforts. A new OPM memo outlines where agencies should or shouldn’t begin using the technology. Here with more, Federal News Network’s Drew Friedman.

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Whether they're seeking capital, looking for information or connecting with agency services, SBA users often arrive with a need rather than an understanding of how the agency is organized. The SBA is redesigning its website, customer service and digital tools to better match that experience. Joining me now to explain the agency's customer-experience strategy is Hartley Caldwell, SBA's chief information officer and chief AI officer.

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Opportunity Zones were designed to bring investment into economically distressed communities, and more than $108 billion flowed into the program through the end of 2024. But a new GAO report finds major gaps in the information needed to assess many of the program's effects. Here to discuss what policymakers know, and what they still can't measure, is Jessica Lucas-Judy, director of Strategic Issues at the Government Accountability Office.

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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been through a year of significant change. As a new director's nomination moves forward, the question is no longer just who will lead the agency, but how much of its future has already been decided. Alan Kaplinsky, senior counsel at Ballard Spahr, joins me now with insights.

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Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

• Opportunity Zones attracted billions in investment. Measuring what that investment achieved has been much harder
• The Small Business Administration is redesigning its digital services around the people who use them, rather than the way the agency is organized
• The CFPB's next director may inherit an agency that's already been fundamentally reshaped

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Federal agency CFOs can have more confidence than ever that their agency is sending money to the right citizens. Their confidence comes from the Treasury Department finishing a four-year journey to better secure federal payments. Treasury’s Payment Verification tool moved into full production mode earlier this summer using a three-step process to confirm the accuracy of the disbursement. Justin Marsico is the executive director for financial integrity at the Treasury’s Bureau of Fiscal Service. He talked about hte improvements with Federal News Network’s Jason Miller.

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