The AAMC submitted a response on Oct. 5 (PDF) to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) request for information (RFI), “Proposed Changes to Reporting Outcomes from NIH Peer Review,” which proposes that NIH program officers and applicants no longer receive the final overall impact score or percentile determined during first-level peer review. Instead, the score would be used to place applications into categories that determine their competitiveness prior to rendering funding decisions.
In its response, the AAMC urged the agency to expand the number of outcome categories to differentiate between the most competitive applications, recommending five impact categories (i.e., top 5%, 6-15%, 16-25%, 26-50%, and over 50%) instead of three. The association suggested that the impact score be provided to applicants after notices of award are issued.
The AAMC also emphasized that the NIH should promote the core principles of funding the most meritorious science, including establishing and maintaining trust and accountability, maintaining a robust pool of peer reviewers, and providing investigators and institutions with robust feedback. The comments noted that should the NIH implement any changes to the peer review process, the agency should monitor and report the impact of these changes to the broader research community.
- Washington Highlights