Scientific Management Review Board
Charter
Authority
42 U.S.C. 217a, section 222, of the Public Health Service Act, as amended. The Advisory Committee to the Director, National Institutes of Health (Committee) is governed by the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. app.), which sets forth standards for the formation and use of advisory committees.
Objectives and Scope of Activity
The Committee will provide advice on matters pertinent to National Institutes of Health (NIH) mission responsibilities in the conduct and support of biomedical research, medical science, and biomedical communications.
Description of Duties
The Committee makes recommendations concerning program development, resource allocation, NIH administrative regulation and policy, and other specific or general aspects of NIH policy. The Committee also reviews and makes recommendations on applications for grants and cooperative agreements for research and training for projects that show promise of making valuable contributions to human knowledge.
Agency or Official to Whom the Committee Reports
The Committee will advise, assist, consult with, and make recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary), the Assistant Secretary for Health, and the Director, NIH.
Support
Management and support services will be provided by the Office of the Director, NIH.
Estimated Annual Operating Costs and Staff Years
The estimated annual cost for operating the Committee, including compensation and travel expenses for members, but excluding staff support, is $105,874. The estimated annual person-years of staff support required is 0.4 at an estimated annual cost of $64,470.
Designated Federal Officer
The Secretary will assign a full-time or permanent part-time NIH employee as the Designated Federal Officer (DFO) of the Committee. In the event that the DFO cannot fulfill the assigned duties of the committee, one or more full-time or permanent part-time NIH employees will be assigned these duties on a temporary basis.
The DFO will approve or call all of the committee's and subcommittees' meetings, prepare and approve all meeting agendas, attend all committee and subcommittee meetings, adjourn any meeting when it is determined to be in the public interest, and chair meetings when directed to do so by the Secretary.
Estimated Number and Frequency and Format of Meetings
Meetings of the full Committee will be held approximately three times within a fiscal year. Meetings will be open to the public except as determined otherwise by the Secretary in accordance with subsection (c) of section 552b of Title 5 U.S.C. Notice of all meetings will be given to the public. In the event a portion of a meeting is closed to the public, as determined by the Secretary, in accordance with the Government in the Sunshine Act (5 U.S.C. 552b(c)) and the Federal Advisory Committee Act, a report will be prepared which will contain, as a minimum, a list of members and their business addresses, the Committee's functions, dates and places of meetings, and a summary of the Committee's activities and recommendations made during the fiscal year. A copy of the report will be provided to the Department Committee Management Officer.
Duration
Continuing. This committee is authorized with no specified end date.
Termination
Unless renewed by appropriate action prior to its expiration, the Charter for the Advisory Committee to the Director, NIH will expire two years from the date the charter is filed.
Membership and Designation
The Committee will consist of the Secretary, or designee, as Chair, and 20 members selected by the Secretary. The appointed members will consist of authorities who are knowledgeable in the fields of research pertinent to the NIH mission and individuals who represent the academic and private sector research community, as well as representatives of the general public. All non-Federal members serve as Special Government Employees. Members will be invited to serve for overlapping terms of up to four years. A quorum for the conduct of business by the full Committee will consist of a majority of currently appointed members.
Subcommittees
As necessary, subcommittees and ad hoc working groups may be established by the DFO within the Committee's jurisdiction. The advice/recommendations of a subcommittee/working group must be deliberated by the parent advisory committee. A subcommittee may not report directly to a Federal official unless there is statutory authority to do so.
Subcommittee membership may be drawn in whole or in part from the parent advisory committee. All subcommittee members may vote on subcommittee actions and all subcommittee members count towards the quorum for a subcommittee meeting. Ad hoc consultants do not count towards the quorum and may not vote. A quorum for a subcommittee will be three members. The Department Committee Management Officer will be notified upon establishment of each standing subcommittee and will be provided information on its name, membership, function, and estimated frequency of meetings.
Recordkeeping
Meetings of the committee and its subcommittees will be conducted according to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, other applicable laws and Departmental policies. Committee and subcommittee records will be handled in accordance with General Records Schedule 26, Item 2 or other approved agency records disposition schedule. These records will be available for public inspection and copying, subject to the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552.
Filing Date
May 31, 2011
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