Today NIH issued a decision matrix for assessing potential foreign interference as part of its ongoing efforts to be transparent about its policies and procedures. The decision matrix builds on the detailed information already available on our site and also offers additional detail as to how NIH considers whether to contact institutions to request additional information.
Nearly two years ago, we implemented a provision in law that requires NIH grant recipients to notify us when their senior key personnel on awards are removed from their position or are otherwise disciplined due to concerns about harassment, bullying, retaliation, or hostile working conditions. Here we provide an update on implementation of Section 239.
This year, I once again virtually sat down with Dr. David Kosub, from our communications group, to take a look back and to share some thoughts on what is to come for 2024.
This NIH All About Grants podcast episode explores how we at NIH aim to ensure a safe and respectful workplace wherever NIH-funded work is conducted. Drs. Patricia Valdez and Elyse Sullivan, Research Integrity Officers with the NIH Office of Extramural Research, explain more in this conversation.
Whistleblowers help the government recoup funds and prevent additional wrongdoing. The HHS Office of Inspector General developed several video resources to help someone report wrongdoing related to a grant or contract, or even retaliation as a result of making such a report or filing a complaint.
We have seen rising numbers of allegations related to harassment, discrimination, and hostile work environments since 2018 (when we first started tracking them). In many cases, we successfully work with recipient institutions to put appropriate measures in place to address unsafe working environments. However, too often we hear from institutions that a PI has violated the institution’s policies and is no longer permitted to supervise students or staff, but there will be “no impact on NIH-funded work.” We have a problem with this response.
The UNITE E Committee recently updated the research community on their progress towards creating a “multipronged strategy to advance racial equity and create the most inclusive biomedical research environment possible.” We wanted to briefly share a few of their efforts here.
At the start of the year, we briefly touched on our efforts to address research integrity violations in our 2022 Year In Review. Today we are sharing some more information on the overall trends in research integrity allegations associated with the NIH grants process.
Sometimes disagreements about authorship cannot be avoided, and many have likely seen it up close. They can be handled thoughtfully and appropriately. But when they are not, they may lead to serious consequences for the people and research involved. Here, we will look at this issue more closely and reflect on how to proactively address them.
Are you organizing an NIH-supported conference? NIH expects that recipients maintain a safe and respectful environment, free from harassment and discrimination.
