Tenure at the NIH is "the commitment of salary to an independent Senior Investigator."¹ De-tenuring is removal of that commitment. "Removal of tenure is a rare event and only occurs after thorough review by the IC and the Central Tenure Committee, with final approval by the Deputy Director for Intramural Research."¹

Brief description of the process followed by the CTC for de-tenuring:

First, a package that presents the case for de-tenuring will be submitted by the IC where the individual has tenure to the CTC. In this package, the Scientific Director from the IC will describe in a cover memo the reasons why the IC no longer has a "vote of confidence in the achievements and potential" of the investigator, as it had when tenure was conferred.¹ The investigator must receive a copy of this memorandum and will have the opportunity to respond in writing. This rebuttal will be provided to the CTC as part of the package for the de-tenuring case. The package will also include the investigator's C.V., bibliography and last two BSC reviews. At a meeting with the CTC, the Scientific Director will present the case for de-tenuring and answer questions from the CTC members. All CTC deliberations will be strictly confidential. The presentation should include evidence of "an inability to function as a productive member of the scientific community"¹ (e.g., a serious, long-term decline in the person's productivity, qualifications, and fulfillment of expectations). After answering all questions from the CTC, the Scientific Director will leave and the DDIR will ask for general CTC discussion. Then there will normally be a motion, followed by a secret written vote. The DDIR makes the final de-tenuring decision taking into consideration the CTC's recommendation. CTC members do not vote on a de-tenuring action that originates in their own Institute.

¹"Tenure in the NIH Intramural Program: Modified on February 9, 2001"