NSF’s Implementation of Ethics Training Requirement in America COMPETES Act

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is announcing its implementation of Section 7009 of the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science (COMPETES) Act (42 U.S.C. 1862o-1). This section of the Act requires that “each institution that applies for financial assistance from the Foundation for science and engineering research or education describe in its grant proposal a plan to provide appropriate training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research to undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers participating in the proposed research project.”

Federal Register Notice

US Department of Health and Human Services Press Release:

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today that the United States Senate unanimously confirmed Dr. Francis Collins as the next Director of the National Institutes of Health.

“Dr. Collins is one of our generation’s great scientific leaders. A physician and geneticist, Dr. Collins served as Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, where he led the Human Genome Project to completion,” said Secretary Sebelius. “Dr. Collins will be an outstanding leader. Today is an exciting day for NIH and for science in this country.”

Contact:  HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343

NSF Press Release:

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has selected University of Michigan historian Myron Gutmann, director of the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research, to head its directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE). The directorate supports research that builds fundamental knowledge of human behavior, interaction, social and economic systems, and organizations and institutions.

Gutmann, who specializes in historical demography and population-environment relationships with a focus on Europe and the Americas, begins his position on Nov. 2, 2009.

Read the full press release

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
July 8, 2009

President Obama Announces Intent to Nominate Francis Collins as NIH Director

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Francis S. Collins as Director of the National Institutes of Health at the Department of Health and Human Services.

President Obama said, “The National Institutes of Health stands as a model when it comes to science and research.  My administration is committed to promoting scientific integrity and pioneering scientific research and I am confident that Dr. Francis Collins will lead the NIH to achieve these goals. Dr. Collins is one of the top scientists in the world, and his groundbreaking work has changed the very ways we consider our health and examine disease.  I look forward to working with him in the months and years ahead.”

Francis S. Collins, Nominee for Director, National Institutes of Health, Health and Human Services

Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., a physician-geneticist noted for his landmark discoveries of disease genes and his leadership of the Human Genome Project, served as Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) at the National Institutes of Health from 1993-2008. With Dr. Collins at the helm, the Human Genome Project consistently met projected milestones ahead of schedule and under budget. This remarkable international project culminated in April 2003 with the completion of a finished sequence of the human DNA instruction book. In addition to his achievements as the NHGRI Director, Dr. Collins’ own research laboratory has discovered a number of important genes, including those responsible for cystic fibrosis, neurofibromatosis, Huntington’s disease, a familial endocrine cancer syndrome, and most recently, genes for adult onset (type 2) diabetes and the gene that causes Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome. Dr. Collins has a longstanding interest in the interface between science and faith, and has written about this in The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief (Free Press, 2006), which spent many weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.  He has just completed a new book on personalized medicine, The Language of Life: DNA and the Revolution in Personalized Medicine (HarperCollins, to be published in early 2010). Collins received a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Virginia, a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Yale University, and an M.D. with Honors from the University of North Carolina. Prior to coming to NIH in 1993, he spent nine years on the faculty of the University of Michigan, where he was an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.  He has been elected to the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in November 2007.

NIH Press Release:

For Immediate Release
Monday, June 8, 2009

NIH Receives 20,000 Applications for Challenge Grants Through the Recovery Act
More Than 18,000 Scientists to be Involved in Peer Review Process

Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius announced today that the National Institutes of Health received approximately 20,000 applications for Challenge Grants, a new program under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). This large number of applications is approximately equal to the total number of applications NIH receives in one of the agency’s three major review rounds each year.

“President Obama is committed to supporting science and research that has the potential to improve public health and save lives,” said Secretary Sebelius. “These grants and other Recovery Act investments will strengthen our scientific community and help our economy grow as we create new jobs invest in new laboratories, buildings and equipment.”

“These are exciting times for biomedical research and NIH,” added Acting NIH Director Raynard S. Kington, M.D., Ph.D. “We issued the Challenge Grant Request for Applications and received the largest response in our history from the scientific community, both in terms of applications and assistance with the peer review process. Through the Challenge Grants, NIH will invest in targeted research of the highest quality that will impact both economic growth and human health.”

President Obama and Vice President Biden believe federally funded scientific research should play an important role in advancing science and technology in the classroom and in the lab.

The Challenge Grant program is designed to spur new areas of research and trigger an influx of research dollars into communities across the nation. NIH requested applications on topics in fifteen broad scientific areas the agency believes will benefit from a jumpstart or in which scientific challenges need to be overcome. They include bioethics, translational science, genomics, health disparities, enhancing clinical trials, behavioral change and prevention, and regenerative medicine.

The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) will check the applications for compliance and review them in a two-phase process. Reviewers with expertise in the specialized topic areas were recruited to do the first phase reviews. Their reviews and the applications will be further assessed by one of about 30 study sections comprising researchers who will focus on overall significance and impact.

All Challenge Grant applications will receive a summary statement containing critiques with criterion scores from three assigned reviewers. More than 18,000 scientists are expected to be involved in the Challenge Grant peer review process.

CSR typically reviews 16,000 applications with the help of about 8,000 reviewers in each of the three main yearly review rounds. Including Challenge Grants and other ARRA grants, CSR will assess about 40,000 applications this round with about 28,000 reviewers.

The deadline for Challenge Grant applications was April 27. Scores and summary statements will be available in August 2009. Challenge Grant awards will be issued by September 30, 2009.

NIH expects to devote at least $200 million in ARRA funding to Challenge Grants. In addition to the approximately 200 Challenge Grants that will be funded by the NIH Office of the Director, it is likely that more than 200 ARRA-related grants will be funded by NIH Institutes or Centers.

"Our scientists and their staff are unsung heroes, managing twice as many applications in a very compressed time with great professionalism and excellence,” said CSR Director Dr. Toni Scarpa. “The response by the scientific community also has been tremendous. The help is particularly gratifying because it shows the value and respect that scientists have for NIH peer review.”

The Center for Scientific Review organizes the peer review groups that evaluate the majority of grant applications submitted to the National Institutes of Health. CSR also receives all NIH and many Public Health Service grant applications — about 80,000 a year — and assigns them to the appropriate NIH Institutes and Centers and PHS agencies. CSR’s primary mission is to see NIH applications receive fair, independent, expert, and timely reviews free from inappropriate influences. For more information, visit http://www.csr.nih.gov.

The Office of the Director, the central office at NIH, is responsible for setting policy for NIH, which includes 27 Institutes and Centers. This involves planning, managing, and coordinating the programs and activities of all NIH components. The Office of the Director also includes program offices which are responsible for stimulating specific areas of research throughout NIH. Additional information is available at http://www.nih.gov/icd/od/.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation’s Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

The activities described in this release are being funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). More information about NIH’s ARRA grant funding opportunities can be found at http://grants.nih.gov/recovery/. To track the progress of HHS activities funded through the ARRA, visit www.hhs.gov/recovery. To track all federal funds provided through the ARRA, visit www.recovery.gov.

NIH Contact:
Megan Columbus
301-435-0937

See original NIH press release

Position Announcement

Director, Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research National Institutes of Health
http://obssr.od.nih.gov

Closing Date: August 31, 2009
http://www.jobs.nih.gov/vacancies/executive.htm

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) invites applications for the currently vacant position of Director of the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR). The official announcement is posted at http://www.jobs.nih.gov/vacancies/executive.htm. Candidates should submit their applications not later than August 31, 2009.

The Director, who also functions as the NIH Associate Director for Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, serves as the NIH focal point for establishing agency-wide policies and goals in behavioral and social sciences research, coordinates the activities undertaken in the performance of this research, and provides advice and staff support to the NIH Director, Deputy Director, and Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives within the Office of the Director.

The position functions as a liaison between the NIH and the extramural behavioral and biomedical research communities; and with other Federal agencies, academic and scientific societies, national voluntary health agencies, the media, and the general public on matters pertaining to behavioral and social sciences research. Specifically, the Director is responsible for: (1) advising the NIH Director and other key officials on matters relating to research on the role of behavioral and social factors in the promotion of health and prevention of disease; (2) fostering research projects in the behavioral and social sciences conducted or supported by the NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs); and (3) working collaboratively with the ICs to develop new research and training programs in the behavioral and social sciences. The Director, OBSSR, manages a staff, demonstrating commitment to work force diversity enhancem! ent. The OBSSR employs approximately 14 full time positions: 9 scientific staff, 2 program analysts, 1 communications specialist, and 2 support staff, and has a FY 2009 estimated budget of more than $27M.

This is a challenging and rewarding opportunity to provide leadership for the behavioral and social sciences. The position requires demonstrated scientific expertise and administrative skills; the ability to identify and articulate research agendas cutting across multiple disciplines and topics and to communicate behavioral and social sciences concepts and methods to the biomedical leadership at NIH; and knowledge in or familiarity with multiple behavioral and social scientific disciplines, especially as they intersect with biomedical disciplines and the health of individuals and populations.

HOW TO APPLY: Applicants must submit a current CV and bibliography electronically to Ms. Regina Reiter at SeniorRe@od.nih.gov (301- 402-1130). In addition, applicants are strongly encouraged to prepare a supplemental narrative statement that addresses the qualifications requirements (see the official announcement), and to provide the names, titles, and telephone numbers of 4-5 references.

NSF Press Release:

The National Science Foundation (NSF) today announced a new solicitation in a program to fund repairs and renovations at the nation’s academic research facilities. The grant program is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The Recovery Act, signed into law by President Barack Obama in February, designated $200 million for competitive grants to be administered by NSF as part of its Academic Research Infrastructure (ARI) program.

Read the full NSF press release

NSF Press Release:

The National Science Foundation today announced a special opportunity for funding projects that strengthen the research infrastructure in the nation’s science and engineering research and education institutions. Funding of $300 million was provided for the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), signed into law by President Barack Obama in February 2009.

Read the full NSF press release

Excerpt from the NSF report:

“Our planet’s climate affects–and is affected by–the sky, land, ice, sea, life, and people found on it. To understand the entire story of climate change we must study all of the natural and human systems that contribute to and interact with Earth’s climate system.”

Read the full report

Excerpt from the President’s remarks:

“At such a difficult moment, there are those who say we cannot afford to invest in science, that support for research is somehow a luxury at moments defined by necessities.  I fundamentally disagree.  Science is more essential for our prosperity, our security, our health, our environment, and our quality of life than it has ever been before.”

Full remarks can be found on the White House website