CMS Seeks Input on Interoperability and Patient Access Proposed Rule and RFIs

Posted on March 25, 2019 by Mike Lauer

Medicare and Medicaid claims data are a uniquely valuable, rich source of health information available to the NIH research community for observational and interventional research. On February 11, 2019, The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule to advance interoperability and patient access to health information. In addition, CMS released two RFIs to obtain feedback on 1.) interoperability and health IT adoption in post-acute care settings, and 2.) the role of patient matching in interoperability and improved patient care. Continue reading →

NIH Annual Snapshot – FY 2018 By the Numbers

Posted on March 13, 2019 by Mike Lauer

We recently released our annual web reports and success rate data with updated numbers for fiscal year (FY) 2018. These web products represent annual snapshots of NIH research investments, which are highlighted in this post. Continue reading →

NIH IRL: Join Us at the NIH Regional Seminar

Posted on March 5, 2019 by Mike Lauer

I recently mentioned how much I enjoy starting a conversation through the blog with you, the investigators, grants administrators, research staff, and others in the research community. At the NIH Regional Seminar on Program Funding and Grants Administration, I hold “Open Mike” sessions where I have no slides and no prepared remarks – I let the audience determine the topics we discuss. I love the opportunity for frank conversations about whatever is on your mind. While I meet with people in the grants community at many different events, the NIH Regional Seminar is one of my favorites because of the opportunity to hear in a common setting of the perspectives and challenges of investigators and research administrators. Continue reading →

Seeking Input on the Need to Enhance Access to NIH Grants Data

Posted on March 4, 2019 by Mike Lauer

NIH has long been committed to transparency into who and what we fund. We have previously discussed the value of freely-available web tools that allow you to gain insight into NIH funding decisions. Award data available via RePORT and RePORTER, for instance, include non-sensitive information such as awardee institution, principal investigator, funding levels, research abstracts, as well as associated publications, patents, and other project outcomes. The data available through RePORT are quite powerful in their own right. However, compelling arguments exist for why researchers outside NIH should have access to even more information associated with the grants process. Continue reading →

Update on NIH’s Efforts to Address Sexual Harassment in Science

Posted on February 28, 2019 by Mike Lauer

Today we released a very important statement outlining actions NIH is taking to become part of the solution to address sexual harassment in science. I am including the full text of the statement below, as it speaks for itself. For additional information please visit our webpage. Continue reading →

Welcome the New Director for the NIH Center for Scientific Review – Dr. Noni Byrnes

Posted on February 21, 2019 by Mike Lauer

It gives me enormous pleasure to extend my warm congratulations to a friend and colleague, Noni H. Byrnes, Ph.D., for her recent selection as the new Director for the NIH Center for Scientific Review (CSR). Continue reading →

Year in Reflection 2018

Posted on January 28, 2019 by Mike Lauer

As we look back at 2018 – or for that matter any year – it seems reasonable to ask questions like “Irrespective of the outcomes, did we make the right decisions?” Given the choices we had, did we go about making our choices in a skillful way? And we can dig deeper – did we take steps to minimize uncertainty? … to mitigate the impact of bad outcomes? … to seek a diversity of opinions? … to make our decisions as data-driven as possible? … Continue reading →

Curling up with a New NIH Data Book

Posted on January 24, 2019 by Mike Lauer

For the New Year, we resolve to make NIH data, reports, and analyses more accessible, interactive, and easy to use. For over a decade, the NIH Data Book has served as a helpful resource for describing funding trends on grants and contract awards, success rates, small business programs, peer review, as well as the scientific workforce. These data, presented as graphics and tables, have allowed you to get a better understanding of decisions made here at NIH. We are proud to announce a new edition is available for your 2019 reading list. Continue reading →

Resources for Rigorous Research

Posted on December 13, 2018 by Mike Lauer

Advancing public health depends on science being empirical, transparent, and rigorous. As yet another step towards fostering rigorous science, we have revamped the Rigor and Reproducibility webpage to highlight and include more resources you might find helpful. Since sketching out our plan last summer with the Advisory Council to the NIH Director, the webpage now reflects policy updates and explores new resources, all in a simple and easy to read manner. Continue reading →

Comments Welcomed on the Draft Report Recommending How to Reduce Administrative Burden in Research with Laboratory Animals: A Next Step in Implementing the 21st Century Cures Act

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Mike Lauer

The 21st Century Cures Act requires federal agencies to “review applicable regulations and policies for the care and use of laboratory animals and make revisions, as appropriate, to reduce administrative burden on investigators while maintaining the integrity and credibility of research finding and protection of research animals.” This past March we requested feedback from the public on ways to reduce regulatory burden while also maintaining the highest standards for protecting animal welfare and scientific integrity. You responded with constructive and helpful feedback with more than19,000 comments. Generally, many responses supported the actions initially proposed in the request, but they were balanced with concerns from animal advocacy and other groups. Continue reading →

NIH Extramural Nexus