§ 289a — Peer Review Requirements

(1) The Secretary, acting through the Director of NIH, shall by regulation require appropriate technical and scientific peer review of— (A) applications made for grants and cooperative agreements under this chapter for biomedical and behavioral research; and (B) applications made for biomedical and behavioral research and development contracts to be administered through the National Institutes of Health. (2) Regulations promulgated under paragraph (1) shall require that the review of applications made for grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements required by the regulations be conducted— (A) to the extent practical, in a manner consistent with the system for technical and scientific peer review applicable on November 20, 1985, to grants under this chapter for biomedical and behavioral research, and (B) to the extent practical, by technical and scientific peer review groups performing such review on or before November 20, 1985, (b) The Director of NIH shall establish procedures for periodic technical and scientific peer review of research at the National Institutes of Health. Such procedures shall require that— (1) the reviewing entity be provided a written description of the research to be reviewed, and (2) the reviewing entity provide the advisory council of the national research institute involved with such description and the results of the review by the entity, (1) In technical and scientific peer review under this section of proposals for clinical research, the consideration of any such proposal (including the initial consideration) shall, except as provided in paragraph (2), include an evaluation of the technical and scientific merit of the proposal regarding compliance with section 289a–2 of this title. (2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to any proposal for clinical research that, pursuant to subsection (b) of section 289a–2 of this title, is not subject to the requirement of subsection (a) of such section regarding the inclusion of women and members of minority groups as subjects in clinical research.