Due Date Accommodations for Investigators Responding to the West Africa Ebola Outbreak

October 31, 2014

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the largest Ebola outbreak in history. NIH appreciates the humanitarian assistance being provided by NIH-supported program directors and principal investigators who travel to West Africa to participate in emergency response activities. As described in NIH Guide Notice NOT-OD-15-010, we have made accommodations to provide additional time for application submission and grant-related reporting for these investigators. ….

New System for Reporting Inclusion Data Is Live

October 30, 2014

NIH’s new system for reporting and managing your inclusion data is now here. The Inclusion Management System allows grantees to use the eRA Commons to report sex/gender, race, and ethnicity information as required by NIH’s policy on the Inclusion of Women and Minorities in Clinical Research. ….

Retention Rates for First-Time R01 Awardees

October 28, 2014

We have seen increased interest in the biomedical workforce by Congress and especially by our community. From our end we’ve in particular observed heightened attention to how the dynamics of the workforce impact researchers in the early stages of their careers. So the topic definitely deserves our continued attention and I thought in light of this it’d be a good time to share some of NIH’s analyses on one specific aspect of this that my office has been closely examining. ….

A Pause in Funding Certain Types of Gain-of-Function Research

October 17, 2014

The White House announced today that U.S. government agencies will institute a pause in the funding of new “gain-of-function” research on influenza, SARS, and MERS viruses that could increase the pathogenicity or transmissibility to mammals …. During this funding pause, the government will carry out a deliberative process to assess the risks and benefits of such studies and will develop a new Federal policy regarding the funding of this research. ….

Defining the Dual Role of Graduate Students and Postdocs Supported by Research Grants

October 10, 2014

Back in 2012 I blogged about what kinds of activities are allowable as part of the official duties of postdoctoral fellows supported by NIH research grants. At the time, NIH received a number of inquiries asking us if certain activities such as participating in seminars, attending meetings, or engaging in other activities designed to expand … Continue reading “Defining the Dual Role of Graduate Students and Postdocs Supported by Research Grants”