Director, Division of Extramural Activities, NIAID
Dr. McGowan updated Council on some NIH and NIAID reinvention activities. He began with a change in Council procedures that provides for an early review of applications within the payline and having no special concerns so the Institute can fund them earlier.
Commenting on Just in Time, Dr. McGowan noted that NIH is coming out with an announcement that will put Just in Time in effect for FIRST, SBIR, conference, and career applications.
He also reported on concerns that the FIRST award of $75,000 to young investigators is not enough money. Several proposals for change are under discussion.
In another effort, the DRG is conducting a pilot to see if reducing the number of initial review groups and changing its referral system will enhance flexibility, responsiveness, and efficiency.
NIH is also looking at changing review rating criteria, possibly by introducing individual ratings for different criteria, such as the significance, approach, and feasibility of the proposed research.
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