October 2024

NIH Office of Science Policy Currently Recruiting for Director of Science Policy Coordination, Collaboration & Reporting Division

Posted on October 31, 2024October 31, 2024

The NIH Office of Science Policy seeks an innovative leader to serve as the Director of its Science Policy Coordination, Collaboration & Reporting Division. The ideal candidate will have experience working with legislative matters, strong communication skills, and will have led outreach and engagement efforts.

The position is being advertised as a supervisory GS-15. The application period is open from today, Thursday, October 31, 2024, until Monday, November 4, 2024.

Current federal employees may apply at: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/816453600

Members of the public should apply at: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/816452000

For more information about the NIH Office of Science Policy, go to https://osp.od.nih.gov/ If you are not yet a subscriber to this listserv, please sign up here.   Also, you can follow us on X: @NIH_OSP

NIH Seeks to Fund Innovative Research and Capacity Building Efforts Related to Bioethics

Posted on October 29, 2024October 29, 2024

NIH, through the Office of Science Policy, is announcing the availability of administrative supplements to support research on bioethical issues that either inform future policy directions or augment bioethics research capacity. For more information, including special areas of interest and application instructions, please visit https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-25-015.html. Applications will be accepted until 5:00pm (applicant local time) on January 24, 2025.

For more information on prior supplements, see here.

Questions about specific IC research priorities should be directed to the contact listed in the notice.

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Seeking Public Comments on Implementation of “Executive Order on Preventing Access to Americans’ Bulk Sensitive Personal Data and USG-Related Data by Countries of Concern”; DOJ Announces NPRM

Posted on October 23, 2024October 23, 2024

In support of the Biden Administration’s effort to protect Americans’ sensitive personal data, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) outlining a new national security regulatory program that would prohibit or restrict U.S. persons from engaging in certain categories of data transactions with countries of concern and covered persons. The DOJ welcomes public comment on the NPRM within 30 days of its publication in the Federal Register.

The DOJ rule proposes several categories of potentially restricted data transactions including (i) human Genomic and other human ‘omic Data, (ii) biometric identifiers, (iii) precise geolocation data, (iv) personal health data, (v) personal financial data, (vi) covered personal identifiers, and (vii) government-related data. The DOJ is specifically seeking input on classes of prohibited, restricted, and exempt transactions, thresholds for triggering the proposed rule’s prohibitions, proposed exemption for regulatory approvals and related questions, and other specifics important for effective implementation.

Questions on the NPRM may be sent to the United States Department of Justice or submitted through https://www.regulations.gov, Docket No. NSD 104.

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Reaffirming NIH’s Commitment to Scientific Integrity

Posted on October 18, 2024October 18, 2024

Dr. Lyric Jorgenson has co-authored this blog with NIH Deputy Director for Intramural Research, Dr. Nina Schor, NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research, Dr. Michael Lauer and NIH Deputy Director for Management, Dr. Alfred Johnson

Last year, NIH put out a call for public comments on its Draft Scientific Integrity Policy. We received responses with thoughtful comments from a variety of communities. As leaders of some of the NIH offices that have a critical role to play in supporting scientific integrity, we are proud to announce that the Final NIH Scientific Integrity Policy is now available!

The final policy incorporates and is responsive to the principles and directives of the Presidential Memorandum on Restoring Trust in Government Through Scientific Integrity and Evidence-Based Policymaking, Protecting the Integrity of Government Science, and A Framework for Federal Scientific Integrity Policy and Practice. The end goal of these efforts was to institutionalize a culture of scientific integrity across the federal government by requiring that agencies either develop or update their existing policies.

As you are most likely aware, NIH has for many years been a leader in promoting practices, policies, and procedures that help ensure the research it funds and conducts is done in accordance with the highest possible standards. We already have in place a suite of complementary efforts to protect the integrity of research processes from bias and interference. These efforts rely on transparent processes, diverse community engagement, management of real or apparent conflicts of interest, and robust and open dialogue.

However, we did see opportunities where we could strengthen our existing system. These areas are articulated in the final policy and include:

Defining the term “scientific integrity” for consistent use across the U.S. Government
Establishing the new positions of NIH Chief Scientist and NIH Scientific Integrity Official and defining the roles and responsibilities of these positions
Establishing the NIH Scientific Integrity Council to coordinate scientific integrity activities across the Agency; and
Adding additional protections against inappropriate political interference

The above measures, in concert with NIH’s existing policies and procedures, will foster scientific integrity, by helping to ensure that (1) research findings are objective, credible, and readily available to the public, and (2) policies and programs are developed and implemented in a transparent, accountable, and evidence-based manner.

It is vital to recognize that the final policy is grounded in the philosophy that all NIH staff, and everyone within the biomedical research enterprise. have a role to play in supporting the integrity of the research we fund, conduct, manage, communicate, or use. As such, all NIH researchers and staff are expected to:

Foster an organizational culture of scientific integrity.
Protect the integrity of the research process, and
Communicate science with integrity.

The Final NIH Scientific Integrity Policy will go into effect December 30, 2024. To ensure that NIH stays a leader in this space, we will reevaluate the policy one year after the effective date and then every two years after that.

Finally, to mark this occasion, Dr. Monica Bertganolli has issued a NIH Director’s statement which can be found at https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/who-we-are/nih-director/statements/ensuring-trust-science-nih-s-commitment-scientific-integrity.