NIH bill would establish electronic research tracking system

The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday approved a measure that would reauthorize the National Institutes of Health, establish an electronic research tracking system to facilitate strategic planning and set aside a percentage of the agency's budget for collaborative research.

The reauthorization bill was released in draft form Tuesday at a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing, and on Wednesday evening had not yet been formally introduced or numbered. Nonetheless, the committee marked up the bill and approved it on a 42-1 vote with minor changes. Committee Chairman Joe Barton, R-Texas, expressed hope that the measure would move quickly to the House floor for a vote, move through the Senate and become law before the end of the year.

Barton on Tuesday called NIH the "crown jewel of the federal government," but said the nearly $30 billion agency needs to be reorganized and revitalized to increase transparency and improve strategic planning on how research funds are allocated. He noted that the last NIH authorization bill was passed 13 years ago and covered fiscal years 1994 through 1997.

Among the measures proposed in the bill is the establishment of an electronic system that would track all research grants and activities at the agency's 27 institutes and centers. It would allow for searches on criteria such as the type of grant, public health area and managing entity, and would include information on relevant literature and patents to the extent possible.

Building on this data, the director of NIH would be required to report biennially to Congress on the agency's activities, strategic research planning and research goals for particular public health problems.

The legislation also would establish a "common fund" for research that cuts across NIH institutes and centers, designed to reflect the interdisciplinary nature of biomedical research. That fund, equal to 5 percent of the total agency budget, would be created by skimming half of all new agency funding every year until it reaches the target level.

NIH Director Elias Zerhouni testified Tuesday that the House committee's focus on organizational efficiency and effectiveness, including creation of a central planning and analysis division, echoed recent moves by the agency to create new offices for portfolio analysis, strategic coordination and evaluation.

Individuals affiliated with the American Heart Association, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the Association of American Medical Colleges and the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology endorsed the legislation, some underlining provisions that would ensure that first-time NIH grant applicants receive full consideration for funding opportunities.

Committee ranking member John Dingell, D-Mich., expressed support for an NIH reauthorization but said he has reservations about the rush surrounding markup of the bill and omission of subcommittee consideration. He also expressed concern about the adequacy of proposed funding.

The legislation would authorize funding at $29.7 billion in fiscal 2007, rising to $32.8 billion by 2009. Those levels do not keep pace with increases that ended in 2003 aimed at doubling the agency's budget. NIH research dollars have become scarcer since that initiative ended. Biomedical inflation runs higher than the general rate, at about 4.1 percent last year compared to a 3.4 percent rise in consumer prices.