January 16, 2004

NIH Calls for Removal of Grant-Proposal Reviewers Who Have Conflicts of Interest

By JEFFREY BRAINARD

Scientists who review grant proposals submitted to the National Institutes of Health will be disqualified if they have financial interests in the research totaling more than $10,000, the agency announced last week. However, the NIH's director may still allow the scientists to participate in reviews if they are deemed to have unique expertise.

That and related rules were published in the January 5 Federal Register and take effect in February. The regulations also require recusal when