Research Commitment Index: A New Tool for Describing Grant Support

January 26, 2017

On this blog we previously discussed ways to measure the value returned from research funding. Several of my colleagues and I, led by NIGMS director Jon Lorsch – chair of an NIH Working Group on Policies for Efficient and Stable Funding – conceived of a “Research Commitment Index,” or “RCI.” We focus on the grant activity code (R01, R21, P01, etc) and ask ourselves about the kind of personal commitment it entails for the investigator(s). We start with the most common type of award, the R01, and assign it an RCI value of 7 points. And then, in consultation with our NIH colleagues, we assigned RCI values to other activity codes: fewer points for R03 and R21 grants, more points P01 grants.

Status of Our Initiatives to Strengthen Clinical Trials

January 6, 2017

In September Dr. Carrie Wolinetz and I blogged about our policy reforms to build a more robust clinical trials enterprise through greater stewardship and transparency at each phase of the clinical trial journey from conception to sharing of results. We discussed how these efforts promise to improve the quality and efficiency of clinical trials, translating into more innovative and robust clinical trial design, and accelerated discoveries that will advance human health.

Over the past months we have continued to partner with the community to work through the implementation of these new policies, developing responses to frequently asked questions and even reconsidering the timing of our single IRB policy to give our grantees time to work through how to operationalize the change. ….

Take A Look At Our New Application Instructions

January 4, 2017

Reading and following application instructions is key to a smooth application submission process. This is why we’re continually seeking to make it easier for you to find and understand the information you need. If you take a look at the December release of our application guide, you will see that we’ve worked really hard to simplify the language and presentation of our application instructions.
A recent Guide notice highlights our changes: ….