House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) on June 14 released a framework of recommendations (PDF) for new policies at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), along with a request for information from invested parties. Among other recommendations, the framework includes proposals to combine the current 27 institutes and centers (ICs) into 15 new ICs; initiate a congressionally mandated commission to review the NIH’s performance, missions, objectives, and programs; encourage public-private partnerships; introduce term limits for IC leadership; enforce financial disclosure requirements; address misconduct; reexamine support for facilities and administrative expenses; limit primary investigators to three concurrent NIH engagements; and identify opportunities to support early-career investigators.
In the accompanying press release, Rodgers highlighted a joint opinion piece authored with House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.), stating that the framework is the start of a robust conversation and not the finished product.
Comments on the framework are due Aug. 16.