IC Directors’ Meeting Highlights — March 13, 2014

Announcements 

Dr. Collins mentioned recent appointments of NIH senior staff and provided information on the recent Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) meeting. An update on the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act and upcoming Congressional hearings were briefly discussed as well.

NIH Grant Scores/Scientific Impact: Michael Lauer

Dr. Lauer (NHLBI) provided an overview of challenges with and possible limitations to predicting or determining impact, while summarizing the results of an NHLBI portfolio prediction and performance analysis. The discussion focused on other aspects that should be included or further considered in future analyses.

Assessing Review Group Outcomes (ARGO) Update: Jim Anderson

Dr. Anderson (DPCPSI) discussed the additional capabilities of current analysis software, the approaches being developed to identify emerging areas of scientific opportunity, and the validity of current analysis ratings. The discussion focused on concerns about specific criteria used in the analysis.

A0/A1 Discussion: Richard Nakamura and Sally Rockey

Drs. Nakamura (CSR) and Rockey (DDER) summarized the impact of changes to grant application submissions (i.e., the number of resubmissions), and discussed potential resubmission models. The discussion centered on the advantages and disadvantages of the various proposed resubmission models.