University President Drew G. Faust spoke in favor of increasing federal funding for biomedical research before a U.S. Senate committee Tuesday.

Faust’s testimony capped a Harvard-led effort to reverse a recent real-dollar decline in research grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Working as part of a larger consortium of universities, Harvard spearheaded the lobbying push, which began with a report and congressional appearances last spring.

Tuesday’s testimony, as well as a second report, “A Broken Pipeline?,” released at a press conference immediately preceding the hearing, focused on the funding decline’s impact on junior researchers.

“I have come to speak to you because of what I am hearing from post-doctoral fellows and students considering a career in basic research,” Faust said to the committee. “They see a future defined by new limits-not in ideas, energy, intelligence or enthusiasm-but in opportunity.”