The US National Academies in Washington DC are launching a study of research universities as a follow-up to their 2005 report Rising Above the Gathering Storm. The new study, requested by Congress and slated for completion in May 2011, will assess whether US research universities can compete with those in other nations and meet federal goals for energy, the environment, health and national security. It will look in particular at higher-education state and federal funding trends, says Peter Henderson, the study's director. The 2005 report warned that the United States may lose its global lead to other nations that have been investing aggressively in science and engineering education and research.