IC Directors’ Meeting Highlights — Thursday, May 25, 2017

Announcements – Francis Collins

Dr. Collins (DIR) updated the IC Directors on his visit to Texas, where he gave the commencement address at Southern Methodist University and spoke at the University of Texas at Southwestern. He also noted upcoming Congressional visits to NIH, including the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee and Senator Jerry Moran (R-OK), and provided a brief update on stakeholder responses to the Grant Support Index (GSI) policy. Finally, the IC Directors discussed the President’s Fiscal Year 2018 Budget, which was released earlier in the week.

OAR Priority Review and Funding Principles – Maureen Goodenow

Dr. Goodenow (OD/OAR) provided an update on the Office of AIDS Research (OAR) activities, including the 2015 portfolio review, the strategic fund for high priority HIV/AIDS research, and goals for the Innovation (discretionary) Fund. She also outlined strategies to improve the process of portfolio and strategic fund review, including the development of a 5-year framework for OAR activities. Discussion focused on allocation of OAR resources.

NIH-VA Collaborations – Rachel Ramoni

Dr. Ramoni (Chief Research and Development Officer, VA) met with the IC Directors to provide an overview of the Research and Development Office at the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs, and to discuss potential research collaborations between the VA and NIH.