RFI Deadline for NIH's Draft Report on Recommendations To Reduce Administrative Burden on Researchers

February 20, 2019 12:00 AM

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) is currently seeking input on a draft report by the 21st Century Cures Act, Section 2034(d) Working Group on Reducing Administrative Burden to Researchers for Animal Care and Use in Research.

View the Reducing Administrative Burden for Researchers: Animal Care & Use in Research Draft Report

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All responses must be submitted electronically via the NIH's website. Comments must be received by 11:59 PM EST on Wednesday, February 20, 2019. Please note that responses are voluntary and may be submitted anonymously.

This Request for Information (RFI) period is “a coordinated effort of the Director of the NIH, in collaboration with the Secretary of Agriculture and the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, to reduce administrative burden on investigators while maintaining the integrity and credibility of research findings and protection of research animals.”

About the 21st Century Cures Act (P.L. 114-255)

Section 2034(d) of the 21st Century Cures Act (P.L. 114-255) was enacted December 13, 2016, and requires that the NIH, in collaboration with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), complete a review of applicable regulations and policies for the care and use of laboratory animals and make revisions to reduce administrative burden on investigators.

In carrying out this effort, the law requests that NIH seek input to identify ways to ensure regulations and policies are not inconsistent, overlapping, or unnecessarily duplicative.

NIH OLAW, USDA, and FDA formed a Working Group to:

  1. Identify overlapping regulations and policies;
  2. Take steps to reduce such identified regulations and policies; and
  3. Take actions to improve coordination, as directed by the US Congress.

For more information, see NIH Guide Notice NOT-OD-19-028 and Federal Register Notice 2018-26557.