Freedom of Information Act Office
IC Directors' Meeting Highlights
August 23, 2012
| To: | IC Directors |
| Subject: | IC Directors' Meeting Highlights — July 12, 2012 |
Announcements: Dr. Collins briefly provided updates on the recent House Health Subcommittee Hearing meeting on June 21. He also discussed the next steps in developing implementation options for the ACD recommendations received by the Biomedical Workforce, Diversity, and Data and Informatics Working Groups. He finally noted upcoming important events at NIH, including the National AIDS Conference that is being hosted in the U.S. for the first time this year, and a Milken Event to draw attention to the importance of medical research that will take place in early September.
Update from CC — Extramural Collaborations Committee: John Gallin and Sally Rockey
Dr. Gallin provided an update on the NIH Clinical Center-Extramural Collaborations Committee, which was charged with developing a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) that promotes clinical research collaborations between intramural and extramural investigators. The Committee previously developed a request for information, FAQs, and a website on this topic, and has developed a Notice of Intent that is ready to be published, and the FOA that will be published following the Notice of Intent. Dr. Gallin discussed the proposed cost model for this activity and the new web site associated with the proposal.
Dr. Rockey described the review process for applications under this FOA and indicated several Institutes that have already signed onto the FOA. Drs. Gallin and Rockey will circulate information to the IC Directors regarding the FOA publication date and will seek additional participation via email communication. IC Directors were generally interested in this new opportunity.
Common Fund Program Proposals for FY2014: Jim Anderson
Dr. Anderson provided a brief update on two new FY2013 programs that are about to be launched: Extracellular RNA Communication and the Undiagnosed Diseases Program. He then described the strategic planning process for potential FY2014 programs, which included three Forward Focus Workshops in May 2012 to gather input from the community on scientific opportunities. Based on internal and external input, unique ideas were identified and presented to the Council of Councils for clearance and comment. Concepts cleared by the Council were subsequently reviewed by a small group of IC Directors and NIH leadership. Dr. Anderson described the five proposals that were identified by that group as potential program ideas for FY2014. Topics related to the ACD recommendations, including Big Data, Biomedical Workforce, and Diversity, will be discussed in the fall at the Leadership Forum.
The IC Directors discussed each of the five programs and generally expressed support or asked for additional information in each area. DPCPSI will provide a synopsis of the discussion and next steps. The IC Directors also discussed their level of involvement in the process for developing Common Fund programs and expressed interest in being included at major decision points; the next time is likely to occur in roughly six months.
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