The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced that it will be implementing a simplified review framework for the peer review of the majority of competing research project grant (RPG) applications, beginning with submissions with due dates of January 25, 2025.
The changes are designed to:
1 - Enable peer reviewers to better focus on answering the key questions necessary to assess the scientific and technical merit of proposed research projects:
- Should the proposed research project be conducted?
- Can the proposed research project be conducted?
2 - Mitigate the effect of reputational bias, refocusing the evaluation of investigator/environment to within the context of the proposed research.
3 - Reduce reviewer burden, shifting policy compliance activities to NIH staff.
A new Simplified Review Framework webpage is now live and will serve as a central repository of information on this initiative. A webinar is scheduled on November 3rd, 2023, to provide the public with an overview of the new framework and what to expect over the upcoming year in preparation for implementation. You can learn more and register for the webinar here.
October 26, 2023