Category: Blog

Flexibilities Available to Applicants and Recipients of Federal Financial Assistance Affected by COVID-19. 

NIH has identified short-term administrative flexibilities to assist applicants with managing administrative, financial management and audit requirements under the Uniform Guidance “Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards” – which are implemented in HHS regulation at 45 CFR Part 75 – without compromising their accountability requirements.

These flexibilities are applicable to NIH applicants and recipients where the entity is conducting research activities related to or affected by COVID-19. Affected entities are those that have been closed, or business activities have been hindered due to COVID-19 precautionary measures and/or illnesses. Entities that are affected will be asked to provide documentation to NIH describing the effects, and how long their facility and NIH related research, clinical practices, or instruction was and/or will be affected.

Recipients should contact their assigned grants management specialist and program official to provide documentation demonstrating the effect of COVID-19. The funding institute or center will work with the recipient to address the impact on the NIH grant.

NIH issued a separate Notice related to Late Application flexibilities and published  COVID-19 Flexibilities for Applicants and Recipients FAQs for additional guidance.

UPDATE: NIH Dementia Care & Caregiving Summit March 24-25 to be Videocast Only

Dear All,

As you know, there is an expanding outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2. The disease itself is referred to as COVID-19. Most cases and most person-to-person spread of the novel virus have occurred in mainland China, but clusters of affected persons have been increasingly detected outside of China, including in the US. The immediate risk to most Americans remains low, but the potential global public health threat posed by this virus is high. This is a rapidly evolving situation and the risk assessment for people in the US may change.

In support of the Office of Personnel Management guidance to strengthen efforts to protect the federal workforce to ensure continuity of operations, NIH leadership has encouraged staff coordinating large meetings within the next 30 days to consider alternate options. After careful deliberation and consideration for the health of all attendees and for the tremendous amount of effort that has gone into planning for this important event, we have decided to hold the National Research Summit on Care, Services, and Supports for Persons with Dementia and Their Caregivers scheduled for March 24-25, 2020 as a virtual meeting only. In other words, there will not be an in-person option.

The goal of the summit is to bring together individuals with a variety of backgrounds to identify evidence-based programs, strategies, approaches, and other research that can be used to improve the care, services, and supports of persons with dementia and their caregivers.

If you have already registered for in-person or videocast you do not need to do anything. All registrants will receive updates and instructions for the virtual meeting. If you are not already registered and would like to receive email updates, please register for a videocast ticket here.

Agenda now available! 

The NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) has released an RFI on proposed research directions that will support OBSSR’s 2017—2021 Strategic Plan.  Specifically, OBSSR is seeking cutting-edge research directions that will accelerate progress in the following priority areas: (1) synergy in basic and applied BSSR; (2) BSSR resources, methods, and measures; and (3) adoption of effective BSSR in practice.  In order to be considered, responses must be submitted via OBSSR’s crowdsourcing website by 11:59 pm ET on March 29^th, 2020.

NIH recently issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking public input on a framework for the 2021—2025 NIH-Wide Strategic Plan.  This framework will articulate NIH’s priorities in the following three areas: (1) biomedical and behavioral science research; (2) scientific research capacity; and (3) scientific integrity, public accountability, and social responsibility in the conduct of science.  All submissions must be received via the RFI submission site by 11:59 pm ET on March 25^th, 2020.  Please note that stakeholder organizations are encouraged to submit a single response reflective of the views of the organization/membership as a whole.

Advances in treating and curing disease are made possible because of clinical research trials and the volunteers who participate in them.  NIA recently released an infographic to help individuals familiarize themselves with clinical research and to understand the benefits of participation.  Please share this infographic widely, including on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.