Research Enterprise Newsletter - July 2008: Grants & Contracts News

New fringe benefit rates announced

The Vanderbilt University Office of Contract and Grant Accounting has announced the fringe benefit rates for FY 2008/09, available at vanderbilt.edu/ocga/fringebenefit/fy0809.htm. The fringe benefit rates are applied to faculty/staff salary. The fringe benefit rates through 2008/09 were negotiated with and approved by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Division of Cost Allocation. Please refer to the Faculty and Staff Resources page for details about fringe benefits and eligibility requirements or contact Human Resource Services at (615) 322-8330. For further information on these fringe benefit rates, contact Cathy Snyder in the Office of Contract and Grant Accounting.

NIH report seeks to add value to peer review process

NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., announced June 6 the next phase of the peer review enhancement process. In a memorandum explaining the goals of the NIH review of peer review, Dr. Zerhouni articulated the two principles that helped shaped the process: First, to ensure that any changes to the peer review system add value and maintain a viable cost-benefit balance; and second, that any changes continue to maximize the freedom of exploration NIH-funded scientists enjoy. Collaborative teams of internal and external participants spent the past year collecting and analyzing input on the peer review process. From their efforts came a comprehensive strategic plan to be implemented over the next 18 months. The Implementation Plan Report has the following priorities as outlined by Dr. Zerhouni:

• Engage the best reviewers: Increase flexibility of service, formally acknowledge reviewer efforts, compensate time and effort, and enhance and standardize training.
• Improve quality and transparency of reviews: Shorten and redesign applications to highlight impact and to allow alignment of the application, review, and summary statement with five explicit review criteria; and modify the rating system.
• Ensure balanced and fair reviews across scientific fields and career stages: Support a minimum number of early stage investigators and investigators new to NIH and emphasize retrospective accomplishments of experienced investigators.

To encourage and expand the transformative research pathway, NIH will create a new investigator-initiated Transformative R01 Award program funded within the NIH Roadmap with a planned commitment of $250 M over five years. For more information about enhancing peer review at NIH and to learn about the plan, please visit enhancing-peer-review.nih.gov.

Office of Grants & Contracts July grant deadlines

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