OER’s new “Protecting Human Research Participants” (PHRP) tutorial, launched on March 1, 2008, registers an average of 450 new users every day.

The NIH is entering the next phase of the peer review enhancement process. After a year of collaborative effort involving both NIH internal and external communities, a strategic plan was created and will be implemented over the next 18 months.

Information for NIH Employee Authors on NIH Public Access Policy Compliance Now Publicly Posted.

Data on compact disks sent to peer reviewers prior to study section meetings are being password protected as of May 15, 2008 to enhance the confidentiality of the peer review process.

NIH plans to transition from PureEdge to Adobe version of the SF424 (R&R) in December 2008 and schedules transition of many remaining mechanisms.

NIH updated the Public Access FAQ this month to provide procedural changes and clarifications. Also, the NIH Public Access Request for Information ends May 31.

Costs for activities with live vertebrate animals may not be charged to NIH unless the institution holds a valid Animal Welfare Assurance and the proposed animal study has been reviewed and approved by the institution’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).

As part of the ongoing efforts to provide guidance to the community on how to manage to Financial Conflicts of Interest, new FAQs provide information regarding questions such as: Who is required to disclose their financial interests (i.e., who is defined as an “investigator” under the regulation) to their institution?

The President’s budget request totals $29.465 billion, funding essentially the same level of competing RPGs in 2009 as estimated in 2008.