September 11, 2015
Rock Talk ceases talking as of today, but someone else will be talking, so please keep your bookmarks active and stay tuned for continued dialog with NIH. I want to thank all of you for a conversation worth having and for making the last portion of my federal career spectacular. I am grateful that I have had the opportunity to know and interact with many of you, which was hands down the highlight of my travels around town and across the country to learn first-hand ….
September 11, 2015
When I started Rock Talk, one of my goals was to lift the curtain on NIH decision-making and to demystify NIH policies and processes. One topic that I have talked endlessly about throughout my tenure is indirect costs (IDCs). Indirect costs generate almost more discussion than any other topic and there are many misunderstandings about them. Comments and questions reflect a range of perspectives, such as: “Indirect costs are rising all the time and eating up funds that could go for research.” and “Why can’t NIH reduce the rate of indirect costs?”. Others have asked us, “NIH – please get rid of the 26% cap in administrative indirect costs!” or simply want to know ….
August 14, 2015
Understanding what you need to know and do to apply for a grant can be a challenge. NIH’s application instruction guide is long, with lots of background information that you may only occasionally need. On top of that, funding opportunity announcements have instructions that often add to those in the application instruction guide. ….
July 30, 2015
NIH is beginning the process of developing a 5-year strategic plan, at the request of Congress. NIH developed a framework to identify crosscutting areas of research ….
June 30, 2015
I’m excited to let you know about a wonderful opportunity for our extramural research community that’s headed to the west coast this fall! For the first time in several years, the NIH Regional Seminar on Program Funding and Grants Administration will be offered in the western half of the United States. This 2-day event, with an optional pre-seminar workshop day, will take place in San Diego from October 14 to October 16, 2015. ….
June 11, 2015
It is bittersweet for me to announce that I am leaving my position as the NIH Deputy Director and will be retiring from NIH and the government to take a new position as Director of the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research. This is a newly formed foundation that I will lead through its formative first years. This foundation is a non-profit corporation that will focus on important national and international issues of agriculture where expanded investments will generate innovative solutions. This position brings together my experience at NIH and my previous ….
March 20, 2015
It’s spring and that means it’s time for the NIH Regional Seminar. This year, I’m especially excited that I will have more than 50 of my NIH and HHS colleagues joining me in Baltimore to share the latest updates and guidance on NIH initiatives, policies, and updates on the NIH grants process. If you are new to working with NIH – or maybe just in need of a brush-up on NIH funding and grant policy-related topics – consider joining us May 7-8, 2015. ….
December 11, 2014
I’m at the December Advisory Council to the Director (ACD) meeting today and tomorrow. Several updates and reports from ACD working groups are on the agenda.
Today, we’ll discuss the whirlwind of activities that NIH and HHS have been involved in related to the 2014 Ebola crisis, and we’ll hear updates on peer review evaluation and workforce diversity efforts. I’ll also be co-presenting with Dr. Sherry Mills, director of the Office of Extramural Programs within OER, and co-chair of the ACD’s Physician-Scientist Workforce working group. ….
December 9, 2014
We certainly heard a lot of input on the blog on the issue of the new biosketch format. I really appreciate the dialog. Even when the input is critical it is so important to hear what you think. Remember that the blog is just one of many points of input when we make policy decisions, however. In this case NIH ….
November 26, 2014
Many people have been asking about the new NIH biosketch. As you may recall, in May 2014, NIH announced that we were piloting changes to the biosketch section of grant application forms. This modified format allows researchers to describe how their background and expertise relates to their proposed project. We will require this new format for most grant applications submitted for fiscal year 2016 funding, as described in a guide notice published today. This sounds like a long way off but remember that the first applications for FY 2016 funding begin with due dates of January 25, 2015. The new format is now available in the “additional format pages” section of the SF424 applications page. ….
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