NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing

On the InsideNIA blog, Dr. Akanni Clarke and Ms. Grayson Donley, both of the NIA Division of Neuroscience, provided an update on data management and sharing requirements. Effective Jan. 25, 2023, the Final NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing requires all NIH-supported research which generates scientific data to include a Data Management and Sharing Plan. A comprehensive Plan should: (1) Identify the data types and resources that will be generated; (2) Propose a timeline for sharing the data and resources; (3) Determine where the resources will be stored; and (4) Describe how the community can access the resources. If you are submitting a grant application, the post recommends familiarizing yourself with the data sharing expectations for the FOA in question. Dr. Clarke and Ms. Donley suggest reviewing the NIA webpage on data sharing resources for researchers and contacting your program officer if you have any additional questions.

NIH Extends Deadline to RFI on UNITE Initiative

NIH has extended the deadline for response to NIH’s Request for Information (RFI) to receive feedback on our effort to end structural racism in biomedical research through the UNITE initiative. Comments can be submitted through the submission website and must be received by 11:59 pm on Friday, April 23, 2021. Please share this information with your networks as we would like to hear from as many organizations as possible on this important effort. If you have questions about the RFI, please direct them to [email protected]

If you are interested in additional information, sign-up to receive updates on the UNITE effort, including the latest news, announcements, and funding opportunities regarding this effort.

NIH Releases Results of COVID-19 Impacts Survey of Extramural Researchers

The NIH Office of Extramural Research on March 25 released results from two surveys of extramural researchers seeking information on the impacts of COVID-19 to the research enterprise. Initial survey results show respondents indicated concerns about career trajectories and the ability to apply for grants; mental health impacts including from external stressors, isolation, and caregiving duties; and decreased productivity in part due to decreased access to labs and facilities. “The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been far-reaching. Our survey findings show that the scientific workforce has not been immune to its effects. It is clear the NIH-funded community of extramural researchers has experienced inequities in several domains, with early-career researchers and those with caregiving responsibilities most affected,” Marie Bernard, MD, acting chief officer for scientific workforce diversity, and Michael Lauer, deputy director for extramural research, said in their summary of the survey results.

NIH Initiative UNITE – RFI due 4/9/2021

NIH launched an effort to end structural racism in biomedical research through a new initiative called UNITE which is instituting new ways to support diversity, equity, and inclusion, and identifying and dismantling any policies and practices that may harm our workforce and our science. As a key stakeholder invested in biomedical research and/or racial equity, your input to NIH’s efforts will be critical.   NIH has released a Request for Information seeking input on practical and effective approaches to improve and strengthen racial equity, diversity, and inclusion across all facets of the biomedical research enterprise, both within NIH and the external community, and expand research to eliminate or lessen health disparities and inequities.  Comments can be submitted through the submission website and must be received by April 9, 2021.

2021 NIH Alzheimer’s Research Summit: Path to Precision Medicine for Treatment and Prevention

NIH Alzheimer’s Research Summits are key strategic planning meetings tied to the implementation of the first goal of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease: to effectively treat and prevent Alzheimer’s disease by 2025. They bring together a multi-stakeholder community including government, industry, academia, private foundation, and patient advocacy groups, to further integrated, translational Alzheimer’s research. The goal is to accelerate the development of effective, disease-modifying, and palliative therapies for the cognitive as well as neuropsychiatric symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

The 2021 Summit will be held virtually April 19 – April 22 from 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. ET.

NIH Videocast, April 19-22, 2021, 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. ET. Registration is free and open to the public.