Working Together to Protect the Integrity of NIH-funded Research

November 15, 2018

When research findings are made up from thin air, misrepresented in some way, or blatantly and without credit copied from others, we risk eroding the public’s trust, damaging institutional reputation, harming careers, incurring skepticism, misleading future research, and, arguably most importantly, hurting patients. NIH takes research misconduct seriously. We are being proactive.

Understanding Age in the NIH Portfolio: Implementation of the NIH Inclusion Across the Lifespan Policy

November 13, 2018

Last December, NIH announced a revision to its Inclusion of Children Policy to expand the policy to individuals of all ages. The revised policy, now called the Inclusion Across the Lifespan policy, requires individuals of all ages (including children and older adults) be included in clinical research studies unless there are scientific or ethical reasons to exclude them.
A recent Viewpoint Essay published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), co-authored by Drs. Marie Bernard (National Institute on Aging), Janine Clayton (NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health), and Michael Lauer, highlights the need for such a policy. The essay summarizes efforts by NIH to implement 21st Century Cures requirements to publish data on the age of research participants, to convene a workshop on age grouping and exclusions, and to make a determination on whether to revise inclusion guidelines on age.

New Application Requirements for Institutional Training Grants: Letter of Institutional Commitment to Harassment and Discrimination Protections

November 9, 2018

NIH takes the issue of sexual harassment and discrimination very seriously. As such, beginning with applications submitted for due dates on or after January 25, 2019, institutional training grant applications (T15, T32, T34, T35, T36, T37, T90/R90, TL1, TL4) must include a letter that describes the institutional commitment to ensuring that proper policies, procedures, and oversight are in place to prevent discriminatory harassment and other discriminatory practices.

Revised NIH Grants Policy Statement for Fiscal Year 2019

November 9, 2018

NIH has released a revised Grants Policy Statement that applies to all NIH grants and cooperative agreements with budget periods beginning on or after October 1, 2018. This revised version does not introduce new policies, but it does incorporate all policy changes or updates made throughout the previous year and includes significant enhancements to improve the user interface, navigation, and search.

Protecting Participants, Empowering Researchers: Providing Access to Genomic Summary Results

November 2, 2018

Today, we are updating the way we manage data related to the NIH Genomic Data Sharing Policy to again allow unrestricted access to genomic summary results for most of the studies we support in order to advance health or further research purposes. These summary results are importantly distinct from other genomic research data, most notably in that they do not include individual-level information. Instead, these results come from analyzing pooled genomic data from multiple individuals together to generate a statistical result for the entire dataset. Such information can be a powerful tool for helping researchers determine which genomic variants potentially contribute to a disease or disorder.

Spring Into Action and Register for the 2019 NIH Regional Seminar in Baltimore Today!

October 31, 2018

Each year, the NIH Regional Seminar on Program Funding and Grants Administration continues to draw participants from all over the globe.  If you are new to working with NIH grants and would like the opportunity to learn more directly from NIH & HHS experts, then make plans now to participate in the next NIH Regional Seminar on Program Funding and Grants Administration, Spring 2019 in Baltimore, MD. 

What Contributes to the Success of Early Career Scientists? – A NIAID Look

October 31, 2018

At NIH, we are heavily invested in our workforce and in understanding the barriers they face. What characteristics do they share? How do they compete in the current hypercompetitive environment? When do they stop applying to NIH (drop out), even after receiving their first award? Staff from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) delve into these questions in a paper published recently in PLOS ONE , whose findings I’d like to highlight today. Here, Drs. Patricia Haggerty and Matthew Fenton looked at factors that may contribute to the success of early-career investigators and if these factors affect all junior researchers equally.