NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., announced June 6 the next phase of the peer review enhancement process. In a memorandum explaining the goals of the NIH review of peer review, Dr. Zerhouni articulated the two principles that helped shaped the process: First, to ensure that any changes to the peer review system add value and maintain a viable cost-benefit balance; and second, that any changes continue to maximize the freedom of exploration NIH-funded scientists enjoy. These two goals support the original charge of the review of the peer review process, which was “to fund the best science, by the best scientists, with the least administrative burden.”
There has been a widespread, positive response to the NIH Director’s call-to-action last year for a review of the peer review process. Collaborative teams of internal and external participants spent the past year collecting and analyzing input on the peer review process. From their efforts came a comprehensive strategic plan to be implemented over the next 18 months.
The Implementation Plan Report has the following four priorities as outlined by Dr. Zerhouni:
- Engage the best reviewers: Increase flexibility of service, formally acknowledge reviewer efforts, compensate time and effort, and enhance and standardize training.
- Improve quality and transparency of reviews: Shorten and redesign applications to highlight impact and to allow alignment of the application, review, and summary statement with five explicit review criteria; and modify the rating system.
- Ensure balanced and fair reviews across scientific fields and career stages: Support a minimum number of early stage investigators and investigators new to NIH and emphasize retrospective accomplishments of experienced investigators. To encourage and expand the transformative research pathway, NIH will create a new investigator-initiated Transformative R01 Award program funded within the NIH Roadmap with a planned commitment of $250 M over five years.
- Develop a permanent process for continuous review of peer review
For more information about enhancing peer review at NIH and to learn about the plan, please visit http://enhancing-peer-review.nih.gov .
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