The Reestablished NIH Scientific Management Review Board Schedules First Meeting

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has reestablished the Scientific Management Review Board (SMRB) to review the agency’s structure and research portfolio and make recommendations to the NIH director. While SMRB was originally created by Congress in 2006, the review board hasn’t met or issued any reports since 2015 (see previous COSSA coverage). In response to growing Congressional criticism of the NIH, including Republican discontent about the handling of COVID-19 (see previous COSSA coverage), SMRB has scheduled their initial meeting for November 12 to review the NIH’s mission, structure, and budget as well as SMRB’s history and future directions. Notably, the new board does not include any social and behavioral scientists (SBS).

The agenda and webcast for the meeting will be posted here.