NIH will eliminate many peer review panels and lay off some scientists overseeing them
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is centralizing its system for vetting research proposals. Starting later this year its Center for Scientific Review (CSR) will take over all reviewing responsibilities from the multiple bodies now involved, the agency announced yesterday. Currently CSR reviews 78% of grant submissions, or 66,000 applications a year, with panels run by NIH’s separate institutes reviewing the rest. Under the new plan, the institute-run panels will be eliminated, and many of the scientists overseeing them will be laid off. NIH says the changes will boost efficiency. But some NIH staffers as well as extramural researchers funded from the $47.4 billion agency worry it’s another way for President Donald Trump’s administration to clamp down on the agency. CSR...