Announcements

New Disclaimer Required for Manuscripts

Implementation of the new NIH academic freedom policy will require that all manuscripts from intramural authors should now include the following disclaimer:

This research was supported [in part] by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The contributions of the NIH author(s) were made as part of their official duties as NIH federal employees, are in compliance with agency policy requirements, and are considered Works of the United States Government. However, the findings and conclusions presented in this paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NIH or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Please share this information with your co-investigators and update the acknowledgement statement on your manuscript clearance form. 

Please note: the [in part] phrase is to be removed if all authors are funded by the IRP.

Please reach out to the NIH Ethics Program with any questions.

Intramural Academic Freedom Guidance

There is a new Intramural Academic Freedom Guidance for Scientific Publications and Communications for the intramural research community.

Academic freedom is the ability to respectfully and openly express ideas, perspectives, and discordant views about scientific data and scholarly research without risk of official interference, professional disadvantage, or workplace retaliation. Such guidance for NIH is now published in the NIH Sourcebook.

Please note that the existing “manuscript clearance” process was revised to a “manuscript review” process (including but not limited to IC review of human subject protections, animal study procedures, dual use or select agent research regulations, and the NIH Public Access Policy) and not for approval of scientific content and/or findings. This covers publications submitted as an official duty. Authors are required to include disclaimer language (see announcement above).

New Media Clearance Process

The NIH Office of Communications and Public Liaison (OCPL) has implemented a new media clearance process. OCPL notification is required for all media engagements regarding official duty activities.

Prior to speaking with the media, researchers must complete this form and include 3-5 talking points that they intend to provide to the media. Scientists may consult with OCPL for expert advice and resources on speaking with the media.

Note that scientists may speak about their scientific findings and conclusions but must still obtain prior advance agency approval when there are policy or legislative implications. Scientists should continue to follow existing policies (e.g., ethics, personal social media use, etc.) to communicate about their science in their personal capacity.

New NIH Centralization Initiatives
Information Hub Has Launched

The NIH Office of the Director has launched a Centralization Initiatives Information Hub, available on SharePoint (internal access only).

The NIH Centralization Initiative Information Hub is your go-to resource for the latest updates related to centralization efforts. The Strategic Organization Taskforce (SOT), a partnership between the NIH Reorganization Management Program within the Office of Management Assessments (OMA) and the Office of Strategy (OS) within the Office of the Director Executive Office (ODEO), are supporting centralization efforts.

The Hub includes a Resources tab, a Frequently Asked Questions page, and a Centralization Initiative Feedback Form for general questions.