IC Directors’ Meeting Highlights — Thursday, April 13, 2017

Announcements – Lawrence Tabak

Dr. Tabak (DEPD) led the meeting in Dr. Collins’ stead. Dr. Tabak informed the IC Directors about a recent Congressional visit, and an upcoming visit by Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee to discuss his book “The Gene: An Intimate History.” He also updated the IC Directors on the Mexico City Policy and the memo to lift the federal hiring freeze.

OppNet Initiative – Richard Hodes and William Riley

Dr. Hodes (NIA) and Dr. Riley (OBSSR) discussed the OppNet Initiative, which is a Basic Behavioral and Social Science Initiative designed to promote activities and initiatives that focus on basic mechanisms of behavior and social processes. Dr. Riley provided some examples of research that was funded through OppNet, and Dr. Hodes concluded by discussing future directions for the Initiative. IC Director discussion focused on the success of the program in terms of PI abilities to secure future funding, the historical context which spurred the Initiative, and the importance of coordinating and communicating OppNet efforts between ICs.

Behavioral and Social Science Research (BSSR) and the Research Citation Ratio (RCR) – William Riley

Dr. Riley (OBSSR) presented information on the RCR as it applies to BSSR funded by NIH. He provided information on BSSR study sections and publication rate differences. IC Director discussion focused on the influence of NIH-funded BSSR research compared to other funders, and the appropriateness of different RCR thresholds to determine a grant’s influence on a research field.