Division of Oncology/Dental School and Greenebaum Cancer Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA.
Acad Med. 2010 May;85(5):775-9. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e3181d74256.
Clinical and experimental biomedical research provides the foundation for advances in medicine, health, and the welfare of the public. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the major agency providing funding for biomedical research. The stated objectives of the NIH for funding research grants (R01s) are to "fund the best science, by the best scientists" and "to see that NIH grant applications receive fair, independent, expert, and timely reviews-free from inappropriate influences-so NIH can fund the most promising research." The NIH recently reviewed and identified issues involved with the study section peer review process that compromise the achievement of these laudable and important objectives. Consequently, the NIH has and continues to issue new guidelines and requirements relating to the R01 grant review process. The author argues that some of these NIH directives conflict with and counteract the achievement of the NIH's stated objectives. The author further contends that the directives introduce discrimination into the review process. Such conditions impede the funding of the best science by the best scientists, while funding lesser-quality research. The NIH should eliminate all directives that prevent R01 grants from being awarded solely to the highest-quality research. This is in the best interest of the biomedical community and the health and welfare of the public at large.
临床和实验生物医学研究为医学、健康和公众福利的进步提供了基础。美国国立卫生研究院（NIH）是为生物医学研究提供资金的主要机构。NIH 为资助研究拨款（R01）规定的明确目标是“资助最好的科学，由最好的科学家资助”，并“确保 NIH 拨款申请得到公平、独立、专业和及时的审查——不受不当影响——以便 NIH 能够资助最有前途的研究。”NIH 最近审查并确定了涉及研究部门同行评审过程的问题，这些问题损害了实现这些值得称赞和重要目标的能力。因此，NIH 已经并继续发布与 R01 拨款审查过程相关的新指南和要求。作者认为，其中一些 NIH 指令与 NIH 规定的目标相冲突，并产生了反作用。作者进一步认为，这些指令在审查过程中引入了歧视。这种情况阻碍了最好的科学由最好的科学家来资助，同时资助了质量较低的研究。NIH 应取消所有阻止 R01 拨款仅授予最高质量研究的指令。这符合生物医学界以及广大公众健康和福利的最大利益。
