Center for Scientific Review Announcement of Requirements and Registration for New Methods To Detect Bias in Peer Review, 25603-25606 [2014-10196]
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 86 / Monday, May 5, 2014 / Notices
Conclusion
There are many different definitions
of what constitutes both rural and
frontier areas. The FAR codes are not
offered as a replacement for other
definitions but as one alternative that
may be useful in research or for
programmatic use.
ORHP considers many of the
comments received to be useful in
future revisions of the FAR codes and
appreciates the interest and passion of
the commenters who are concerned
with the population of the United States
who reside in remote and isolated areas.
Further comments and suggestions on
the FAR codes are welcome.
Dated: April 25, 2014.
Mary K. Wakefield,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2014–10193 Filed 5–2–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health
emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
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[FR Doc. 2014–10152 Filed 5–2–14; 8:45 am]
National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases; Notice of Closed
Meeting
Pursuant to section 10(d) of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act, as
amended (5 U.S.C. App.), notice is
hereby given of a meeting of the
Division of Intramural Research Board
of Scientific Counselors, NIAID.
The meeting will be closed to the
public as indicated below in accordance
with the provisions set forth in section
552b(c)(6), Title 5 U.S.C., as amended
for the review, discussion, and
evaluation of individual intramural
programs and projects conducted by the
National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases, including
consideration of personnel
qualifications and performance, and the
competence of individual investigators,
the disclosure of which would
constitute a clearly unwarranted
invasion of personal privacy.
Name of Committee: Division of Intramural
Research Board of Scientific Counselors,
NIAID.
Date: June 9–11, 2014.
Time: June 9, 2014, 8:00 a.m. to 6:35 p.m.
17:56 May 02, 2014
Agenda: To review and evaluate personal
qualifications and performance, and
competence of individual investigators.
Place: National Institutes of Health, Rocky
Mountain Laboratories, Hamilton, MT 59840.
Time: June 10, 2014, 7:30 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.
Agenda: To review and evaluate personal
qualifications and performance, and
competence of individual investigators.
Place: National Institutes of Health, Rocky
Mountain Laboratories, Hamilton, MT 59840.
Time: June 11, 2014, 7:30 a.m. to 10:00
a.m.
Agenda: To review and evaluate personal
qualifications and performance, and
competence of individual investigators.
Place: National Institutes of Health, Rocky
Mountain Laboratories, Hamilton, MT 59840.
Contact Person: Kathryn C. Zoon, Ph.D.,
Director, Division of Intramural Research,
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases, NIH, Building 31, Room 4A30,
Bethesda, MD 20892, 301–496–3006, kzoon@
niaid.nih.gov.
Any interested person may file written
comments with the committee by forwarding
the statement to the Contact Person listed on
this notice. The statement should include the
name, address, telephone number and when
applicable, the business or professional
affiliation of the interested person.
(Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance
Program Nos. 93.855, Allergy, Immunology,
and Transplantation Research; 93.856,
Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
Research, National Institutes of Health, HHS)
Dated: April 28, 2014.
David Clary,
Program Analyst, Office of Federal Advisory
Committee Policy.
believe that it is best to leave individual
program decisions on how to use FAR
codes and what additional criteria to
use, if any, to programmatic staff.
Therefore, neither ORHP nor USDA will
undertake reviews except in cases
where erroneous classifications may
have been made.
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Valery Gordon, Ph.D., Acting Director,
Clinical Research Program, Office of
Science Policy, NIH; email: gordonv@
od.nih.gov; telephone: 301–496–9838.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
stakeholder teleconference meeting will
enable the NIH to gather perspectives
from interested parties on issues related
to the clinical trial recruitment and
retention that could be explored in the
workshop. For the purposes of planning
the workshop agenda, the NIH is
particularly interested in the
perspectives of public foundations and
other organizations currently working in
this area. The topics that are to be
explored in the workshop include the
following: Outside coordination with
NIH-supported clinical trials and public
foundations; models to identify and
support trial participants; potential
public-private partnerships; methods to
increase participation, including
underrepresented and uninsured
populations; and potential measures to
track and monitor participation in NIHsupported clinical trials.
Dated: April 26, 2014.
Lawrence A. Tabak,
Principal Deputy Director, NIH.
[FR Doc. 2014–10154 Filed 5–2–14; 8:45 am]
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
BILLING CODE 4140–01–P
National Institutes of Health
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Center for Scientific Review
Announcement of Requirements and
Registration for New Methods To
Detect Bias in Peer Review
National Institutes of Health
Enrollment and Retention of
Participants in NIH-Funded Clinical
Trials—Notice of Meeting
The National Institutes of
Health (NIH) will hold a teleconference
with interested stakeholders to gather
perspectives on issues related to the
enrollment and retention of research
participants in NIH-funded clinical
trials. The stakeholder input will inform
the planning of an NIH workshop on
this topic that will be scheduled this
summer.
SUMMARY:
May 16, 2014, from 3:00 p.m.–
4:30 p.m., ET.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held by
teleconference. A teleconference agenda
and logistical information will be posted
in advance of the teleconference at the
following Web site: https://
osp.od.nih.gov/.
DATES:
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Authority: 15 U.S.C. 3719.
The Center for Scientific
Review (CSR) is seeking ideas for the
detection of bias in NIH Peer Review of
grant applications in a challenge titled
‘‘New Methods to Detect Bias in Peer
Review.’’ This notice provides
information regarding requirements and
registration for this challenge.
DATES:
Submission Period: May 5, 2014
through 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, June
30, 2014.
Judging Period: July 16, 2014 through
August 29, 2014.
Winners Announced: September 2,
2014.
ADDRESSES: Details on the NIH/CSR
Peer Review process can be found on
the Reviewer Resources tab at
www.csr.nih.gov. For questions about
this challenge, email
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 86 / Monday, May 5, 2014 / Notices
CSRDiversityPeerRev@mail.nih.gov or
call at 301–300–3839.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Monica Basco, Center for Scientific
Review, phone: 301–300–3839 or email:
CSRDiversityPeerRev@mail.nih.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
mission of CSR is to ensure that the
National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant
applications receive fair, independent,
expert, and timely reviews so NIH can
fund the most promising research. For
this challenge, ‘‘New Methods to Detect
Bias in Peer Review,’’ CSR is seeking
ideas for the detection of bias in NIH
Peer Review of grant applications. CSR
is particularly interested in approaches,
strategies, methodologies, and/or
measures that would be sensitive to
detecting bias among reviewers based
on gender, race/ethnicity, institutional
affiliation, area of science, and amount
of research experience of applicants.
This challenge is consistent with peer
review authority under sections 492 and
492A of the Public Health Service Act
and federal regulations governing
‘‘Scientific Peer Review of Research
Grant Applications and Research and
Development Contract Projects’’ (42 CFR
Part 52h). The challenge is part of a
larger quality assessment activity related
to peer review. Research findings
(Ginther et al., 2011; 2012) showed a
discrepancy in success rates for NIH
R01 grant funding between White
applicants and Black applicants, raising
the question of possible bias in the peer
review process. This challenge aims to
address that discrepancy by soliciting
ideas for detecting potential bias in peer
review. It directly supports the mission
of CSR to ensure that the best and
brightest minds have an equal
opportunity to contribute to the
realization of our national research
goals.
Subject of Challenge: The subject of
this challenge is to seek ideas for the
detection of bias in NIH Peer Review.
The mission of the NIH is to seek
fundamental knowledge about the
nature and behavior of living systems
and to apply that knowledge to enhance
health, lengthen life, and reduce the
burdens of illness and disability. NIH
has a longstanding and time tested
system of peer review to identify the
most promising biomedical research to
accomplish these aims. As the portal for
NIH grant applications and their review
for scientific and technical merit, CSR is
engaged in a new initiative to closely
examine the peer review process. Aims
include the identification of procedures
and practices that are most beneficial in
accomplishing CSR’s mission as well as
identifying any aspects that might make
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the review process vulnerable to bias.
The goal is to enhance the quality and
validity of the peer review process.
As background, every grant
application submitted to NIH must
undergo two levels of NIH Peer Review
prior to funding. The first level of
review is carried out by a Scientific
Review Group (SRG) composed
primarily of non-federal scientists who
have expertise in relevant scientific
disciplines and current research areas.
The second level of review is performed
by Institute and Center National
Advisory Councils or Boards who make
recommendations on priority areas of
research, pending policy, and funding of
particular applications. Councils are
composed of both scientific and public
representatives chosen for their
expertise, interest, or activity in matters
related to health and disease. Only
applications that are recommended for
approval by both the SRG and the
Advisory Council may be recommended
for funding. Final funding decisions are
made by the director of the relevant NIH
Institute or Center.
CSR strives to ensure that NIH grant
applications receive fair, independent,
expert, and timely reviews—free from
inappropriate influences—so NIH can
fund the most promising research.
However, recent studies (Ginther et al.,
2011; 2012) have shown that African
American researchers are less likely
than White researchers to receive NIH
R01 grant funding by at least 10
percentage points. An investigation of
racial disparities in grant funding must
include the exploration of potential bias
in the peer review system.
There are several challenges in the
assessment of bias in peer review. Any
reactive effects of assessing racial bias
must be minimized. That is; detection
strategies should not have a detrimental
effect on reviewers by creating a
sensitivity that did not previously exist.
And, while the written critiques of
reviewers may provide opportunities to
identify biased comments, because of
the confidential nature of peer review,
the names and demographic
characteristics of reviewers assigned to
specific applications are not retained
and not all grant applicants and
reviewers provide sensitive
demographic data such as race and
ethnicity.
In this challenge, participants are
asked to submit their ideas for the
detection of possible bias in the NIH
Peer Review process. These ideas
should provide approaches, strategies,
methodologies, and/or measures that
would be sensitive to detecting bias
among reviewers due to gender, race/
ethnicity, institutional affiliation, area
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of science, and prior funding of grant
applicants (See complete submission
requirements below).
Eligibility Rules for Participating in
the Challenge: The challenge is open to
any individual, group of individuals, or
entity (each referred to in this notice as
a participant) who meets the eligibility
criteria below. There is no limit to the
number of entries a participant can
submit.
To be eligible to win a prize under
this challenge:
(1) The participant shall have
registered to participate in the
competition under the rules
promulgated by CSR as described in this
notice.
(2) The participant (including each
individual participating as a member of
a group participant) shall have complied
with all the requirements under this
section.
(3) In the case of a private entity, the
entity shall be incorporated in and
maintain a primary place of business in
the United States, and in the case of an
individual, whether participating singly
or in a group, each shall be a citizen or
permanent resident of the United States.
(4) Individuals (whether competing
alone or part of a group) who are
younger than 18 must have their parent
or legal guardian complete the Parental
Consent Form. The form can be found
on the Challenge Web page at
www.csr.nih.gov.
(5) The participant may not be a
Federal entity or Federal employee
acting within the scope of his or her
employment.
(6) The participant shall not be an
HHS employee working on their
applications or submissions during
assigned duty hours.
(7) The participant shall not be an
employee of the National Institutes of
Health, the Center for Scientific Review,
a member of the Subcommittee on Peer
Review or any other party involved with
the design, production, execution, or
distribution of the Challenge or their
immediate family (spouse, parents or
step-parents, siblings and step-siblings
and children and step-children).
(8) Federal grantees may not use
Federal funds to develop COMPETES
Act challenge applications unless
consistent with the purpose of their
grant award.
(9) Federal contractors may not use
Federal funds from a contract to develop
COMPETES Act challenge applications
or to fund efforts in support of a
COMPETES Act challenge submission.
(10) CSR reserves the right to cancel,
suspend, modify the challenge and/or
not award a prize if no submissions are
deemed worthy.
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(11) CSR will claim no rights to
intellectual property. By participating in
this challenge, participant grants to CSR
an irrevocable, paid-up, royalty-free,
nonexclusive worldwide license to post,
link to, share, and display publicly the
submission(s) on the Web, newsletters
or pamphlets, and other information
products such as a future Funding
Opportunity Announcement or other
study to develop the methodology. In
addition, CSR may incorporate
proposed ideas into a future Request for
Applications (RFA), Request for
Proposals (RFP) or an implemented
study to develop the methodology, but
an award of a prize does not guarantee
the proposed idea will be implemented.
(12) By participating in this challenge,
participant agrees that the submission is
participant’s original work and that all
proposed ideas are participant’s original
effort. It is the responsibility of the
participant to obtain any rights
necessary to use, disclose, or reproduce
any intellectual property owned by
third parties and incorporated in the
entry for all anticipated uses of the
submission. Submissions must not
violate or infringe upon the rights of
other parties, including, but not limited
to, privacy, publicity or intellectual
property rights, or material that
constitutes copyright or license
infringement.
(13) By participating in this challenge,
each participant (including each
individual making up a group
participant) agrees to assume any and
all risks and waive claims against the
Federal Government and its related
entities, except in the case of willful
misconduct, for any injury, death,
damage, or loss of property, revenue, or
profits, whether direct, indirect, or
consequential, arising from
participation in this prize challenge,
whether the injury, death, damage, or
loss arises through negligence or
otherwise.
(14) Based on the subject matter of the
challenge, the type of work that it will
possibly require, as well as an analysis
of the likelihood of any claims for death,
bodily injury, or property damage, or
loss potentially resulting from challenge
participation, participants are not
required to obtain liability insurance or
demonstrate financial responsibility in
order to participate in this challenge.
(15) By participating in this challenge,
each participant agrees to indemnify the
Federal Government against third party
claims for damages arising from or
related to challenge activities.
(16) An individual shall not be
deemed ineligible because the
individual used Federal facilities or
consulted with Federal employees
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during this challenge if the facilities and
employees are made available to all
individuals participating in the
challenge on an equitable basis.
(17) In the case of groups, a single,
individual group member will submit
the submission on behalf of the group
and certify that the submission meets all
challenge rules.
(18) The decision of the award
approving official is final and cannot be
contested. The award approving official
is the Director of the Center for
Scientific Review.
Submission Process for Participants:
Participants should submit all entry
materials to CSRDiversityPeerReview@
mail.nih.gov.
Amount of the Prize: CSR may award
up to a total of four prizes in two
categories: Best Empirically-Based
Submission and Most Creative
Submission. In each of these two
categories, CSR may award a first prize
in the amount of $10,000 and a second
prize in the amount of $5,000. Each
submission is eligible for only one prize
(i.e., a single submission cannot win
more than one prize for this challenge).
Prizes awarded under this challenge
will be paid by electronic funds transfer
and may be subject to Federal income
taxes. HHS will comply with the
Internal Revenue Service withholding
and reporting requirements, where
applicable. If a group or entity is
selected as a winner, CSR will pay the
prize to an individual representative of
the group or entity designated in the
cover letter required as part of the
submission. To the extent applicable, it
is this individual’s responsibility to
distribute the prize to group (or entity)
members.
Basis Upon Which Submissions Will
Be Evaluated: After CSR receives and
de-identifies the submissions, the
submissions will be evaluated according
to a two-stage process: (1) Technical
merit will be evaluated for its potential
to detect bias in peer review (High,
Medium, Low Impact) by a panel of
experts in fields relevant to peer review
and reviewer bias, and (2) High Impact
submissions will be evaluated and rankordered based on the judging criteria
(see judging criteria below) by a panel
of judges comprised of federal
employees who will recommend the
winning entries.
The final awards will be approved by
the Director of the Center for Scientific
Review; provided, however, that CSR
reserves the right to cancel, suspend,
modify the challenge and/or not award
a prize if no submissions are deemed
worthy.
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25605
The judging criteria for the best
empirically based and most creative
submissions are as follows:
Best Empirically-Based Submission
• Theoretically based and/or hypothesis
driven
• Proposes an experimental design
• Well-grounded in peer reviewed
empirical literature
• Proposes measurement methods
• Feasibility of implementation
• Related to the NIH Peer Review
Process
Most Creative Submission
• Proposes novel concepts or translates
existing concepts in a novel way
• Challenges existing paradigms
• The proposed project has potential to
be translated for use in an
experimental design
• Creative ways to apply ideas
• Implementation is feasible
• Relates to the NIH Peer Review
Process
Submission Requirements: This
challenge is for the solicitation of ideas
for the detection of bias in NIH Peer
Review, therefore a full development of
new measures is not required. The
following materials must be uploaded to
CSRDiversityPeerReview@mail.nih.gov
or sent in hardcopy to the Office of the
Director, Attention: Denise McGarrell,
Center for Scientific Review, 6701
Rockledge Drive, Suite 3030, Bethesda,
Maryland 20892 by the deadline.
Incomplete submissions will not be
considered. All submissions must be
written in English.
• Cover sheet with title of the
submission and the participant’s name
or names of group members and contact
information. In the case of groups (and
entities), indicate one group member
responsible for corresponding with CSR.
Also indicate which group member will
be responsible for receiving the prize for
distribution, as applicable, among group
members.
• Challenge submission documents.
Note: The 2-page challenge idea should
be anonymous (i.e., not include
identifying information of the
participant). Submissions shall not
exceed 2 single-spaced pages (not to
include cover page, references or
parental consent document, if
applicable) and shall be constrained to
no less than one inch margins and 11 pt.
Ariel font. All submissions must be
submitted in .doc (Word) format.
Submissions should include the
following sections:
Aims: Describe the goals for your
proposed approach to the detection of
bias in peer review and the anticipated
outcomes.
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Approach: Provide a detailed
description of your proposed methods
and procedures. Describe how you
might measure the effectiveness of your
plan in accomplishing your proposed
aims.
Implementation: Explain how your
method might be implemented as part of
NIH Peer Review. Include how your
proposed method might be tested and,
if effective, how it might be
disseminated across the NIH.
• As applicable, the signed Parental
Consent Document.
• Submissions not conforming to
these specifications will be disqualified.
References
Ginther DK et al. (2011). Race, ethnicity, and
NIH research awards. Science, 333
(1015–1019).
Ginther DK, Haak LL, Schaffer WT, &
Kington R. (2012). Are race, ethnicity,
and medical school affiliation associated
with NIH R01 type 1 award probability
for physician investigators? Academic
Medicine, 87 (11), 1516–1524.
Dated: April 29, 2014.
Richard Nakamura,
Director, Center for Scientific Review,
National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 2014–10196 Filed 5–2–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health
Center for Scientific Review
Announcement of Requirements and
Registration for Strategies To
Strengthen Fairness and Impartiality in
Peer Review
Authority: 15 U.S.C. 3719.
The National Institutes of
Health (NIH) Center for Scientific
Review (CSR) is issuing a challenge
titled ‘‘Strategies to Strengthen Fairness
and Impartiality in Peer Review.’’ This
notice provides information regarding
requirements and registration for the
challenge.
SUMMARY:
emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES
DATES:
Submission Period: May 5, 2014
through 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, June
30, 2014.
Judging Period: July 16, 2014 through
August 29, 2014.
Winners Announced: September 2,
2014.
Details on the NIH/CSR
Peer Review process and current
reviewer training materials can be found
on the Reviewer Resources tab at
www.csr.nih.gov (See NIH Peer Review
ADDRESSES:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
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Process Revealed and Resources for
Reviewers). For questions about this
challenge, please contact
CSRDiversityPeerRev@mail.nih.gov or
call at 301–300–3839.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Monica Basco, Center for Scientific
Review, phone: 301–300–3839 or email
at CSRDiversityPeerRev@mail.nih.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
mission of the NIH is to seek
fundamental knowledge about the
nature and behavior of living systems
and to apply that knowledge to enhance
health, lengthen life, and reduce the
burdens of illness and disability. NIH
has a longstanding and time tested
system of peer review to identify the
most promising biomedical research.
The core values of NIH Peer Review are
(1) expert assessment, (2) transparency,
(3) impartiality, (4) fairness, (5)
confidentiality, (6) integrity, and (7)
efficiency. These values drive NIH to
seek the highest level of ethical
standards and form the foundation for
the laws, regulations, and policies that
govern the NIH peer review process.
The NIH’s Center for Scientific
Review is issuing a challenge titled
‘‘Strategies to Strengthen Fairness and
Impartiality in Peer Review,’’ under and
consistent with sections 492 and 492A
of the Public Health Service Act and
federal regulations governing ‘‘Scientific
Peer Review of Research Grant
Applicants and Research and
Development Contract Projects’’ (42 CFR
Part 52h). The goal of this challenge is
to seek ideas for strengthening reviewer
training practices to enhance
impartiality and fairness in peer review
of grant applications. Research findings
(Ginther et al, 2011; 2012) suggest a
discrepancy in success rates for NIH
R01 grant funding between White
applicants and Black applicants,
suggesting possible bias in the peer
review process. This challenge aims to
address that discrepancy by soliciting
ideas for reviewer training methods to
enhance fairness and impartiality in
peer review. It directly supports the
mission of CSR to ensure that the best
and brightest minds have an equal
opportunity to contribute to the
realization of our national research
goals.
Subject of Challenge: The subject of
this challenge is to seek ideas for
reviewer training methods to enhance
fairness and impartiality in peer review.
The NIH Peer Review process is a
dual peer review system used by NIH to
award research funds. Under this
system, each application must undergo
two levels of NIH Peer Review. The first
level of review is carried out by a
PO 00000
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Scientific Review Group (SRG)
composed primarily of non-federal
scientists who have expertise in relevant
scientific disciplines and current
research areas. The second level of
review is performed by Institute and
Center National Advisory Councils or
Boards that make recommendations on
priority areas of research, pending
policy, and funding of particular
applications. Councils are composed of
both scientific and public
representatives chosen for their
expertise, interest, or activity in matters
related to health and disease. Only
applications that are recommended for
approval by both the SRG and the
Council may be recommended for
funding. Final funding decisions are
made by the director of the relevant NIH
Institute or Center.
NIH recognizes a unique and
compelling need to promote diversity in
the NIH-funded biomedical research
workforce. The NIH expects efforts that
diversify the workforce to lead to the
recruitment of the most talented
researchers from all groups, improve the
quality of the training environment,
balance and broaden the perspective in
setting research priorities, and improve
the Nation’s capacity to address and
eliminate health disparities. Yet, despite
longstanding efforts from the NIH and
other entities across the biomedical and
behavioral research landscape to
enhance the diversity of workforce,
more work remains to be done. Recent
studies (Ginther et al., 2011; 2012) have
shown that African American
researchers are less likely than White
researchers to receive NIH R01 grant
funding. These findings have raised
concerns regarding the degree to which
reviewers are demonstrating the core
values of impartiality and fairness.
This challenge seeks ideas for
reviewer training methods aimed at
enhancing fairness and impartiality in
peer review. Submissions need not
include fully developed training
materials (See complete submission
requirements below). However, ideas
should be provided in sufficient detail
to assess their ability to address and
promote fairness and impartiality in the
peer review of grant applications with
regards to: gender, race/ethnicity,
institutional affiliation, area of science,
and amount of research experience of
the applicant.
Eligibility Rules for Participating in
the Challenge: The challenge is open to
any individual, group of individuals, or
entity (each referred to in this notice as
a ‘‘participant’’) who meets the
eligibility criteria below. There is no
limit to the number of entries a
participant can submit.
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 86 (Monday, May 5, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25603-25606]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-10196]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health
Center for Scientific Review Announcement of Requirements and
Registration for New Methods To Detect Bias in Peer Review
Authority: 15 U.S.C. 3719.
SUMMARY: The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) is seeking ideas for
the detection of bias in NIH Peer Review of grant applications in a
challenge titled ``New Methods to Detect Bias in Peer Review.'' This
notice provides information regarding requirements and registration for
this challenge.
DATES:
Submission Period: May 5, 2014 through 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time,
June 30, 2014.
Judging Period: July 16, 2014 through August 29, 2014.
Winners Announced: September 2, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Details on the NIH/CSR Peer Review process can be found on
the Reviewer Resources tab at www.csr.nih.gov. For questions about this
challenge, email
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CSRDiversityPeerRev@mail.nih.gov or call at 301-300-3839.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Monica Basco, Center for Scientific
Review, phone: 301-300-3839 or email: CSRDiversityPeerRev@mail.nih.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The mission of CSR is to ensure that the
National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant applications receive fair,
independent, expert, and timely reviews so NIH can fund the most
promising research. For this challenge, ``New Methods to Detect Bias in
Peer Review,'' CSR is seeking ideas for the detection of bias in NIH
Peer Review of grant applications. CSR is particularly interested in
approaches, strategies, methodologies, and/or measures that would be
sensitive to detecting bias among reviewers based on gender, race/
ethnicity, institutional affiliation, area of science, and amount of
research experience of applicants.
This challenge is consistent with peer review authority under
sections 492 and 492A of the Public Health Service Act and federal
regulations governing ``Scientific Peer Review of Research Grant
Applications and Research and Development Contract Projects'' (42 CFR
Part 52h). The challenge is part of a larger quality assessment
activity related to peer review. Research findings (Ginther et al.,
2011; 2012) showed a discrepancy in success rates for NIH R01 grant
funding between White applicants and Black applicants, raising the
question of possible bias in the peer review process. This challenge
aims to address that discrepancy by soliciting ideas for detecting
potential bias in peer review. It directly supports the mission of CSR
to ensure that the best and brightest minds have an equal opportunity
to contribute to the realization of our national research goals.
Subject of Challenge: The subject of this challenge is to seek
ideas for the detection of bias in NIH Peer Review. The mission of the
NIH is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of
living systems and to apply that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen
life, and reduce the burdens of illness and disability. NIH has a
longstanding and time tested system of peer review to identify the most
promising biomedical research to accomplish these aims. As the portal
for NIH grant applications and their review for scientific and
technical merit, CSR is engaged in a new initiative to closely examine
the peer review process. Aims include the identification of procedures
and practices that are most beneficial in accomplishing CSR's mission
as well as identifying any aspects that might make the review process
vulnerable to bias. The goal is to enhance the quality and validity of
the peer review process.
As background, every grant application submitted to NIH must
undergo two levels of NIH Peer Review prior to funding. The first level
of review is carried out by a Scientific Review Group (SRG) composed
primarily of non-federal scientists who have expertise in relevant
scientific disciplines and current research areas. The second level of
review is performed by Institute and Center National Advisory Councils
or Boards who make recommendations on priority areas of research,
pending policy, and funding of particular applications. Councils are
composed of both scientific and public representatives chosen for their
expertise, interest, or activity in matters related to health and
disease. Only applications that are recommended for approval by both
the SRG and the Advisory Council may be recommended for funding. Final
funding decisions are made by the director of the relevant NIH
Institute or Center.
CSR strives to ensure that NIH grant applications receive fair,
independent, expert, and timely reviews--free from inappropriate
influences--so NIH can fund the most promising research. However,
recent studies (Ginther et al., 2011; 2012) have shown that African
American researchers are less likely than White researchers to receive
NIH R01 grant funding by at least 10 percentage points. An
investigation of racial disparities in grant funding must include the
exploration of potential bias in the peer review system.
There are several challenges in the assessment of bias in peer
review. Any reactive effects of assessing racial bias must be
minimized. That is; detection strategies should not have a detrimental
effect on reviewers by creating a sensitivity that did not previously
exist. And, while the written critiques of reviewers may provide
opportunities to identify biased comments, because of the confidential
nature of peer review, the names and demographic characteristics of
reviewers assigned to specific applications are not retained and not
all grant applicants and reviewers provide sensitive demographic data
such as race and ethnicity.
In this challenge, participants are asked to submit their ideas for
the detection of possible bias in the NIH Peer Review process. These
ideas should provide approaches, strategies, methodologies, and/or
measures that would be sensitive to detecting bias among reviewers due
to gender, race/ethnicity, institutional affiliation, area of science,
and prior funding of grant applicants (See complete submission
requirements below).
Eligibility Rules for Participating in the Challenge: The challenge
is open to any individual, group of individuals, or entity (each
referred to in this notice as a participant) who meets the eligibility
criteria below. There is no limit to the number of entries a
participant can submit.
To be eligible to win a prize under this challenge:
(1) The participant shall have registered to participate in the
competition under the rules promulgated by CSR as described in this
notice.
(2) The participant (including each individual participating as a
member of a group participant) shall have complied with all the
requirements under this section.
(3) In the case of a private entity, the entity shall be
incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in the United
States, and in the case of an individual, whether participating singly
or in a group, each shall be a citizen or permanent resident of the
United States.
(4) Individuals (whether competing alone or part of a group) who
are younger than 18 must have their parent or legal guardian complete
the Parental Consent Form. The form can be found on the Challenge Web
page at www.csr.nih.gov.
(5) The participant may not be a Federal entity or Federal employee
acting within the scope of his or her employment.
(6) The participant shall not be an HHS employee working on their
applications or submissions during assigned duty hours.
(7) The participant shall not be an employee of the National
Institutes of Health, the Center for Scientific Review, a member of the
Subcommittee on Peer Review or any other party involved with the
design, production, execution, or distribution of the Challenge or
their immediate family (spouse, parents or step-parents, siblings and
step-siblings and children and step-children).
(8) Federal grantees may not use Federal funds to develop COMPETES
Act challenge applications unless consistent with the purpose of their
grant award.
(9) Federal contractors may not use Federal funds from a contract
to develop COMPETES Act challenge applications or to fund efforts in
support of a COMPETES Act challenge submission.
(10) CSR reserves the right to cancel, suspend, modify the
challenge and/or not award a prize if no submissions are deemed worthy.
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(11) CSR will claim no rights to intellectual property. By
participating in this challenge, participant grants to CSR an
irrevocable, paid-up, royalty-free, nonexclusive worldwide license to
post, link to, share, and display publicly the submission(s) on the
Web, newsletters or pamphlets, and other information products such as a
future Funding Opportunity Announcement or other study to develop the
methodology. In addition, CSR may incorporate proposed ideas into a
future Request for Applications (RFA), Request for Proposals (RFP) or
an implemented study to develop the methodology, but an award of a
prize does not guarantee the proposed idea will be implemented.
(12) By participating in this challenge, participant agrees that
the submission is participant's original work and that all proposed
ideas are participant's original effort. It is the responsibility of
the participant to obtain any rights necessary to use, disclose, or
reproduce any intellectual property owned by third parties and
incorporated in the entry for all anticipated uses of the submission.
Submissions must not violate or infringe upon the rights of other
parties, including, but not limited to, privacy, publicity or
intellectual property rights, or material that constitutes copyright or
license infringement.
(13) By participating in this challenge, each participant
(including each individual making up a group participant) agrees to
assume any and all risks and waive claims against the Federal
Government and its related entities, except in the case of willful
misconduct, for any injury, death, damage, or loss of property,
revenue, or profits, whether direct, indirect, or consequential,
arising from participation in this prize challenge, whether the injury,
death, damage, or loss arises through negligence or otherwise.
(14) Based on the subject matter of the challenge, the type of work
that it will possibly require, as well as an analysis of the likelihood
of any claims for death, bodily injury, or property damage, or loss
potentially resulting from challenge participation, participants are
not required to obtain liability insurance or demonstrate financial
responsibility in order to participate in this challenge.
(15) By participating in this challenge, each participant agrees to
indemnify the Federal Government against third party claims for damages
arising from or related to challenge activities.
(16) An individual shall not be deemed ineligible because the
individual used Federal facilities or consulted with Federal employees
during this challenge if the facilities and employees are made
available to all individuals participating in the challenge on an
equitable basis.
(17) In the case of groups, a single, individual group member will
submit the submission on behalf of the group and certify that the
submission meets all challenge rules.
(18) The decision of the award approving official is final and
cannot be contested. The award approving official is the Director of
the Center for Scientific Review.
Submission Process for Participants: Participants should submit all
entry materials to CSRDiversityPeerReview@mail.nih.gov.
Amount of the Prize: CSR may award up to a total of four prizes in
two categories: Best Empirically-Based Submission and Most Creative
Submission. In each of these two categories, CSR may award a first
prize in the amount of $10,000 and a second prize in the amount of
$5,000. Each submission is eligible for only one prize (i.e., a single
submission cannot win more than one prize for this challenge).
Prizes awarded under this challenge will be paid by electronic
funds transfer and may be subject to Federal income taxes. HHS will
comply with the Internal Revenue Service withholding and reporting
requirements, where applicable. If a group or entity is selected as a
winner, CSR will pay the prize to an individual representative of the
group or entity designated in the cover letter required as part of the
submission. To the extent applicable, it is this individual's
responsibility to distribute the prize to group (or entity) members.
Basis Upon Which Submissions Will Be Evaluated: After CSR receives
and de-identifies the submissions, the submissions will be evaluated
according to a two-stage process: (1) Technical merit will be evaluated
for its potential to detect bias in peer review (High, Medium, Low
Impact) by a panel of experts in fields relevant to peer review and
reviewer bias, and (2) High Impact submissions will be evaluated and
rank-ordered based on the judging criteria (see judging criteria below)
by a panel of judges comprised of federal employees who will recommend
the winning entries.
The final awards will be approved by the Director of the Center for
Scientific Review; provided, however, that CSR reserves the right to
cancel, suspend, modify the challenge and/or not award a prize if no
submissions are deemed worthy.
The judging criteria for the best empirically based and most
creative submissions are as follows:
Best Empirically-Based Submission
Theoretically based and/or hypothesis driven
Proposes an experimental design
Well-grounded in peer reviewed empirical literature
Proposes measurement methods
Feasibility of implementation
Related to the NIH Peer Review Process
Most Creative Submission
Proposes novel concepts or translates existing concepts in a
novel way
Challenges existing paradigms
The proposed project has potential to be translated for use in
an experimental design
Creative ways to apply ideas
Implementation is feasible
Relates to the NIH Peer Review Process
Submission Requirements: This challenge is for the solicitation of
ideas for the detection of bias in NIH Peer Review, therefore a full
development of new measures is not required. The following materials
must be uploaded to CSRDiversityPeerReview@mail.nih.gov or sent in
hardcopy to the Office of the Director, Attention: Denise McGarrell,
Center for Scientific Review, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Suite 3030,
Bethesda, Maryland 20892 by the deadline. Incomplete submissions will
not be considered. All submissions must be written in English.
Cover sheet with title of the submission and the
participant's name or names of group members and contact information.
In the case of groups (and entities), indicate one group member
responsible for corresponding with CSR. Also indicate which group
member will be responsible for receiving the prize for distribution, as
applicable, among group members.
Challenge submission documents. Note: The 2-page challenge
idea should be anonymous (i.e., not include identifying information of
the participant). Submissions shall not exceed 2 single-spaced pages
(not to include cover page, references or parental consent document, if
applicable) and shall be constrained to no less than one inch margins
and 11 pt. Ariel font. All submissions must be submitted in .doc (Word)
format. Submissions should include the following sections:
Aims: Describe the goals for your proposed approach to the
detection of bias in peer review and the anticipated outcomes.
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Approach: Provide a detailed description of your proposed methods
and procedures. Describe how you might measure the effectiveness of
your plan in accomplishing your proposed aims.
Implementation: Explain how your method might be implemented as
part of NIH Peer Review. Include how your proposed method might be
tested and, if effective, how it might be disseminated across the NIH.
As applicable, the signed Parental Consent Document.
Submissions not conforming to these specifications will be
disqualified.
References
Ginther DK et al. (2011). Race, ethnicity, and NIH research awards.
Science, 333 (1015-1019).
Ginther DK, Haak LL, Schaffer WT, & Kington R. (2012). Are race,
ethnicity, and medical school affiliation associated with NIH R01
type 1 award probability for physician investigators? Academic
Medicine, 87 (11), 1516-1524.
Dated: April 29, 2014.
Richard Nakamura,
Director, Center for Scientific Review, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 2014-10196 Filed 5-2-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P