The federal government has channeled nearly $19 million into programs expanding healthcare access via telehealth and specialized technology infrastructure, alongside a separate $19 million grant to establish a national volume electron microscopy observatory for biological research led by university researchers.
Federal Healthcare Grants Fund Remote Care
The Health Resources and Services Administration announced the funding allocation during Telehealth Awareness Week. Agency leadership emphasized that remote care has changed from an operational exception to a core pillar of the American healthcare infrastructure, helping patients in isolated regions connect with specialists without enduring hours of travel. No longer is telehealth the exception to the rule — it is an essential part of the healthcare system, and the Trump Administration is helping providers put these tools to work to expand access and improve health outcomes,
said HRSA Administrator Tom Engels.
- Telehealth Centers of Excellence ($8.5 million): Designed to pilot and test innovative virtual care models that improve patient outcomes.
- Telehealth Nutrition Services Network Grant Program ($5.4 million): Aimed at broadening access to nutritional care that aids in the prevention and management of chronic diseases.
- Technology-enabled Collaborative Learning Program ($4.75 million): Focused on boosting clinical workforce retention and expanding specialized expertise in rural areas.
National Science Foundation Funds Microscopy
Beyond clinical care, federal science backing has targeted advanced imaging infrastructure. The U.S. National Science Foundation awarded a $19 million grant to design the National Connectomics and Ultrastructure Volume Observatory.
The observatory stems from high-throughput volume electron microscopy techniques previously used to map complex neural circuits, such as the complete fruit fly brain wiring diagram published in 2024 using 21 million images produced by Bock’s lab when it was at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Janelia Research Campus. Rather than focusing solely on massive, monolithic mapping efforts, the new observatory intends to handle smaller projects requested by outside investigators.
Earlier this year, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy released the report Science: A New Golden Age,
and it explicitly mentioned the value of connectome work and that the government could support that type of work.
“We should point this high-throughput flashlight across all areas of biology, not only at brain circuit wiring diagrams.”
Davi Bock, associate professor of neurological sciences at the University of Vermont
Four Pilot Projects to Validate the Observatory Pipeline
The initial funding covers a five-year design and testing phase, after which the team can apply for an additional five-year award to implement the program. As part of the design process, Bock and his collaborators have four pilot projects planned.
The facility intends to operate similarly to established open-access entities like the National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research, offering web portals for outside inquiries and providing low-cost or free access during the implementation phase.
