[Federal Register: January 30, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 20)]
[Notices]               
[Page 4693]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr30ja98-120]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

 
Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit 
Review Board, Notice of Meeting

    The Department of Veterans Affairs gives notice under Pub. L. 92-
463 (Federal Advisory Committee Act) as amended, by section 5(c) of 
Pub. L. 94-409 that a meeting of the Rehabilitation Research and 
Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board will be held at the 
Westin City Hotel, 1400 ``M'' Street NW., Washington, DC on January 27 
through January 29, 1998.
    The session on January 27, 1998, is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. 
and end at 9:30 p.m. The sessions on January 28 and January 29, 1998, 
are scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. The purpose of the 
meeting is to review rehabilitation research and development 
applications for scientific and technical merit and to make 
recommendations to the Director, Rehabilitation Research and 
Development Service, regarding their funding.
    The meeting will be open to the public up to the seating capacity 
of the room for the January 27 session for the discussion of 
administrative matters, the general status of the program, and the 
administrative details of the review process. On January 28-29, 1998 
the meeting is closed during which the Board will be reviewing research 
and development applications.
    This review, involves oral comments, discussion of site visits, 
staff and consultant critiques of proposed research protocols, and 
similar analytical documents that necessitate the consideration of the 
personal qualifications, performance and competence of individual 
research investigators. Disclosure of such information would constitute 
a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. Disclosure would 
also reveal research proposals and research underway which could lead 
to the loss of these projects to third parties and thereby frustrate 
future agency research efforts.
    Thus, the closing is in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552b (c)(6), and 
(c)(9)(B) and the determination of the Secretary of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs under Sections 10(d) of Pub. L. 92-463 as amended by 
Section 5(c) of Pub. L. 94-409.
    Due to the limited seating capacity of the room, those who plan to 
attend the open session should write to Ms. Victoria Mongiardo, Program 
Analyst, Rehabilitation Research and Development Service, Department of 
Veterans Affairs, 103 South Gay Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202 
(Phone: 410-962-2563) at least five days before the meeting.

    Dated: January 8, 1998.

    By Direction of the Secretary.
Heyward Bannister,
Committee Management Officer.
[FR Doc. 98-2314 Filed 1-29-98; 8:45 am]
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