GOP Science Platform

The 2012 US Republican Party platform, approved earlier this week at the party's national convention, includes support for biomedical research, the R&D tax credit, and some alternative energy sources while it opposes human embryonic stem cell research, ScienceInsider reports. The platform also says that immigrants who received advanced degrees from US institutions "should be encouraged" to stay in the US.

The platform shows particular support for neuroscience research and using iPS cells. "We also support federal investment in basic and applied biomedical research, especially the neuroscience research that may hold great potential for dealing with diseases and disorders such as Autism, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's," the platform says, adding "we call for expanded support for the stem-cell research that now offers the greatest hope for many afflictions — with adult stem cells, umbilical cord blood, and cells reprogrammed into pluripotent stem cells." The full platform is available here.