request for information
Request for Information (RFI)
Deadline Extended: NSF Seeking Input on Research Ethics
In September, the National Science Foundation (NSF) issued a Dear Colleague Letter requesting public input into the agency’s efforts to improve its merit review process to mitigate the potential harms of emerging technologies as required by the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. The deadline for the Request for Information (RFI) has been extended to December 13 in response to feedback requesting more time. The RFI contains several guiding questions to assist with public response, such as: “Describe ethical, social, safety, and/or security risks from current or emerging research activities that you believe might be of concern to the community, profession, or organization…
NSF, NSB Want to Hear Your Thoughts on Merit Review Process
In recent weeks, the National Science Board (NSB), the governing and oversight body of the National Science Foundation (NSF), has issued a Dear Colleague letter requesting public input into the Board’s ongoing review of NSF’s merit review criteria and process. As previously reported, the NSB-NSF Commission on Merit Review (MRX) was formed following passage of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, which required NSF to commission a review of how “broader impacts” criterion are being applied in the merit review process across the agency. The NSB chose to broaden the review to the entire merit review process, which has not had a holistic look…
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair McMorris Rodgers Releases Framework for NIH Reform
Earlier this month, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), in partnership with the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) Chair Robert Aderholt (R-AL), released a framework outlining potential reforms for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A one-pager on the framework can be found here as well as an opinion piece written by Chairs McMorris Rodgers and Aderholt. Chair McMorris Rodgers has also announced her intent to not seek re-election this November. The framework comes after a series of recommendations, including Senator Bill Cassidy’s (R-LA) white paper on NIH reform released in May (see previous COSSA coverage) and…
NIH Issues RFI on Draft Public Access Policy
On June 18, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued a request for information (RFI) to obtain public comments on the NIH Draft Public Access Policy. The RFI is also seeking feedback on two supplemental draft guidance documents pertaining to government use license and rights, and costs for publications. The draft NIH policy responds to the August 2022 memorandum issued by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) announcing new requirements for federal agencies to make peer-reviewed publications resulting from federal funding freely available to the public immediately following publication. NIH previously sought input into the development of their policy in February 2023….
OSTP Releases RFI on Disability Equity for Data Collection
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has released a request for information (RFI) on the Federal Evidence Agenda of Disability Equity. The RFI is a part of the ongoing efforts outlined in the Presidential Executive Order Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government (see previous COSSA coverage). The RFI is intended to influence the Federal Agenda of Disability Equity on topics such as disparities faced by individuals with disabilities as well as areas for improvement and the development of safeguards within federal data collection for individuals with disabilities. A list of the questions asked…
NIMH Seeks Feedback on Current Strategic Plan for Research
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is seeking feedback on its current Strategic Plan for Research to improve the potential usability, effectiveness, and impact of future strategic plans. The Strategic Plan for Research guides the NIMH and outlines the institute’s priorities, spanning fundamental science to public health impact. The deadline for feedback is July 24 and responses can be submitted here.
NIMH Releases RFI on Improving Research Frameworks on Studying Racism on Brain and Behavioral Health
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released a request for information (RFI) seeking input on ways to improve research frameworks on studying racism on brain and behavioral health. The RFI seeks input on identifying and addressing gaps in the impact of structural racism on brain, cognitive, and behavioral function, and the role of structural and systemic racism on the conduct of brain and behavioral health research. Comments will be accepted through June 14, 2024. Submissions can be made here.
NIH Releases RFI on the Development of the FY 2026-2030 Strategic Plan for Sexual & Gender Minority Health Research
On May 9, the Sexual & Gender Minority Research Office (SGMRO) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued a request for information (RFI). The RFI invites feedback from the community on the development of the Fiscal Years 2026-2030 NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for Sexual and Gender Minority Health Research. The plan will describe future directions in sexual and gender minority health and research to optimize NIH’s research investments. Comments must be received by June 26, 2024. All responses should be submitted here.
Request for Information on Mental Health Determinants and Disparities
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), within the National Institutes of Health, has issued a request for information (RFI) titled “Moving beyond individual-level determinants of mental health to address mental health disparities.” NIMH specifically wants to address gaps in knowledge on (a) the determinants of mental health disparities from social, systemic, and structural levels and (b) the development of culturally responsive, multilevel interventions to address such disparities. Submissions must be made electronically by May 30. A full listing of the RFI can be found here.
Request for Information on Advancing Mental Health Services Research
The Division of Services and Intervention Research (DSIR) at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) titled “Regarding Strategies to Advance the Relevance and Impact of Mental Health Services Research.” This RFI seeks to gather input on how DSIR-supported research has impacted mental health practice and policy, specifically in the following areas: The deadline for submissions is September 1 to the RFI submission website. A full listing of the RFI can be found here which also includes background on mental health services research as a discipline.
NCSES Issues RFI on Use Cases to Inform a Future National Secure Data Service
The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES), housed within the National Science Foundation (NSF), has issued a request for information (RFI) on Use Cases to Inform a Future National Secure Data Service (NSDS) (see previous COSSA coverage). NSDS is intended to inform the ongoing work to improve the governments’ data infrastructure system, including new ways of collecting and linking data. NCSES requests information on research, policy, program, and education use cases as well as challenges and barriers that could be addressed using an NSDS for the development of a future NSDS. Comments are requested by June 14 and can be…
NIJ Issues RFI on the Uses of AI in the Criminal Justice System
The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) housed within the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) in the Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued a request for information (RFI) on the future uses of artificial intelligence (AI) in the criminal justice system. In response to the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence Executive Order released by the Biden Administration in October 2023 (see previous COSSA coverage), NIJ seeks to understand the potential impacts of AI use in the criminal justice system to potentially influence a future report on the topic. Comments are requested by May 28 and should be emailed to mark.greene2@usdoj.gov.
Dept. of Ed Seeks Input on Mental and Behavioral Health of Students in Higher Education
The Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) within the Department of Education (DOE) has issued a request for information (RFI) regarding support systems for the mental and behavioral health of students in higher education. Recognizing the rising rates of depression and anxiety over the past two decades, OPE seeks successful examples of addressing student mental health and substance use disorder needs, transforming campus cultures at institutions of higher education (IHEs), and receiving support from State higher education agencies. Further, OPE seeks to understand challenges that IHEs face in implementing solutions. Comments are requested by February 25 and can be submitted here. This article was…
EPA Seeks Public Comment on Draft Scientific Integrity Policy
On January 24, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a 30-day public comment period on the draft updates to its Scientific Integrity (SI) Policy. This policy is in response to the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy’s (OSTP) memorandum requiring federal agencies to develop scientific integrity policies to restore trust in science (see previous COSSA coverage). The updated SI Policy will adopt a new Federal definition of scientific integrity and meaningfully strengthen several policy elements that will help ensure a culture of scientific integrity at the Agency. It will incorporate the model scientific integrity policy from the National Science and Technology Council’s A…
NIH Requests Comments on Strategic Plan for Data Science
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has issued a request for information (RFI) on their draft Strategic Plan for Data Science. As previously reported by COSSA, the NIH Strategic Plan for Data Science was initially released in 2018. The plan is intended to address advances in data collection, including the increase in quantity and diversity within data, and support data science as a tool for understanding health sciences. In the draft, NIH outlines five goals, including aims to improve NIH policy for data collection, maximize data for research, expand opportunities in data collection services, including artificial intelligence (AI), support a federal biomedical research data…
NIH Releases RFI on Draft Scientific Integrity Policy
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has released a request for information (RFI) on the draft of their new Scientific Integrity Policy. This policy is in response to the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy’s (OSTP) memorandum requiring federal agencies to develop scientific integrity policies to restore trust in science (see previous COSSA coverage). NIH expects the policy to ensure that research is trustworthy and available to the public, and that their policies and programs are transparent, and evidence based. The draft policy changes include a new definition of scientific integrity; roles and responsibilities of the new positions NIH Chief Scientist and NIH…
HHS Requests Comments on Revision of Research Misconduct Policies
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released a request for information (RFI) on a proposed revision of the Public Health Service (PHS) Policies on Research Misconduct within the Office of Research Integrity (ORI) in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH). This policy has not been updated since its creation in 2005 and HHS expects to update the policy to clarify confidentiality requirements and revise definitions of various terms that were not previously defined in the original policy. Comments are requested by December 5 and can be submitted here.
IES Requests Comments on Topics for New Program “From Seedlings to Scale”
The National Center for Education Research (NCER), a center within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), released a request for information (RFI) seeking potential topics for the agency’s new program “From Seedlings to Scale” (S2S) within the recently developed Accelerate, Transform, and Scale (ATS) initiative. ATS is intended to produce high-risk, high-reward education research in response to FY 2023 appropriation language. S2S is intended to support research, product development, and sustainability and scaling in the education marketplace. The RFI’s list of questions can be found here. Comments are due November 13 and should be submitted here.
Senator Bill Cassidy Requests Comments on Reforming the NIH
On September 29, Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) released a request for information (RFI) seeking ways to reform the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Senator Cassidy is the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. According to Cassidy, the RFI is intended to gain insight on ways to increase the pace of science and better organize the NIH, including ways to improve the federal research grant application process and improve collaboration and transparency within both academia and federal agencies. A detailed list of the questions asked can be found here. Comments are due October 27 and should be sent to NIHModernization@help.senate.gov.
OMB Issues Trust Regulation RFI within the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act
The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a request for information for the codification of the four fundamental responsibilities of the Codification of Statistical Policy Directive No. 1 (Trust Regulation) within the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA). The responsibilities are the production of relevant and timely data, ensuring that data is credible and accurate, remaining objective, and protecting confidentiality. In a recent webinar on the Trust Regulation hosted by the American Statistical Association, a COSSA Governing Member, U.S. Chief Statistician, Karin A. Orvis, highlighted the importance of codifying the responsibilities to improve transparency in the agency and improve public…