Author: Kherlen Martin

NIH Director, Dr. Monica Bertagnolli announced today that the agency is accepting the Advisory Committee to the NIH Director (ACD) recommendations to catalyze the development and use of novel alternative methods. Through its Novel Alternative Methods (NAMs) Working Group, the ACD consulted with experts in the field and reviewed input from the community to deliver a final report in December 2023. The full report, including the recommendations can be viewed here.

Leveraging these recommendations and building upon existing NIH efforts, the NIH Common Fund has proposed a research program called Complement Animal Research in Experimentation (Complement-ARIE) that aims to accelerate the development of NAM technologies and build a suite of tools that could complement, or in some cases, replace traditional models for researchers to study human biology and disease. This program received concept clearance from the NIH Council of Councils at its January 25, 2024, meeting.  More information can be found on the Complement-ARIE website.

To learn more about these activities, please see the statement issued by Dr. Bertagnolli on the acceptance of these recommendations.

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What are your plans for the summer? What about spending the summer with NIH building your science policy skills? If this sounds interesting, the OSP Summer Internship Program might be right for you. This virtual internship program will take place over the course of 8-12 weeks beginning in late May/early June 2024.  Applications must be received no later than February 12, 2024.

To learn more about the available internship positions, eligibility criteria, and how to apply, please visit: https://osp.od.nih.gov/the-2024-nih-office-of-science-policy-summer-internship-program/

For additional perspective on the internship program, please see the latest Under the Poliscope blog by NIH Associate Director for Science Policy, Dr. Lyric Jorgenson at: https://osp.od.nih.gov/apply-today-for-the-2024-osp-summer-internship-program/

Questions may be sent to [email protected].  If you are not yet a subscriber to this listserv, please sign up here. You can follow us on Twitter @NIH_OSP  as well as LinkedIn.

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-24-031.html.  Applications will be accepted until 5:00pm (applicant local time) on April 1, 2024.

For more information on prior supplements, please see here.

Questions about specific Institute, Center, or Office research priorities should be directed to the contact listed in the notice. 

General questions may be sent to [email protected].  You can also follow us on Twitter: @NIH_OSP.

On November 13, the NIH Office of Science Policy (OSP) will host a webinar to discuss its approach to maximizing the impact of public engagement in the policy making process.  The webinar will address the recent recommendations of the Novel and Exceptional Technology and Research Advisory Committee (NExTRAC) and OSP’s commitment to engage with individuals and communities when considering policy matters.  

The webinar will take place from 3:00 – 3:30 PM ET.  Full information about the webinar, including the agenda and webcast details, can be found on the event webpage. This event is free of charge and open to the public.  Pre-registration is requested but not required.  Questions about the webinar can be sent to [email protected]. If you are not yet a subscriber to this listserv, please sign up here. Also, you can follow us on Twitter: @NIH_OSP