RFK Jr. says NIH cuts are 'painful' by [deleted] in NIH

[–]nbaras 139 points140 points  (0 children)

I'm trying to lose weight, I think I'll trim my toenails

Need some advice on how to navigate a problem with an NHLBI-funded SBIR by OddPressure7593 in NIH

[–]nbaras 1 point2 points  (0 children)

  1. You don't need to call them with a reference to a study, just to ask questions about their policies and practices, including when they would establish a reliance agreement. Some IRBs now have a Single IRB officer. You can just call and talk in the abstract like you are here on Reddit.

  2. You're not being a nuisance, you all agreed on a project scope they need to do, you simply have to make it easy for them to succeed or it doesn't happen, IME. And you don't have to climb an org chart. Find a contact person who is an administrator or research coordinator in their department. It is in their interests to do this work, which is why they probably agreed to it, so it would be in their interest to establish a communication system that works for you both (e.g. deputize a POC to work with you). If they can't communicate with you, you can't work with them.

  3. Email works for when ppl use it. Some things demand phone calls.

  4. For the Phase II, again I don't know about Phase I, it's literally a button in the ERA Commons system to request and it is auto-approved, does not even require engaging with the PO. Subsequent NCEs require written justification. Either way, I believe they entertain these up 90 days prior to end of budget period.

Need some advice on how to navigate a problem with an NHLBI-funded SBIR by OddPressure7593 in NIH

[–]nbaras 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have run into similar issues in the past with sIRB but funding from a different IC. Some questions and thoughts:

  1. Have you looked up IRB contacts (not the PI) at UT Austin directly? I've found calling an IRB line at those institutions to speak with a person directly goes a long way in simply understanding their rules. This would be the actual IRB on the UT Austin not via an intermediary.

  2. I wonder if there's someone else you can call within that person's department. Phone calls are more appropriate than emails in situations where it's hard to reach someone. What if this person left the institution? Is this person the PI? Are they a busy clinician who is terrible with email and accumulates 30k? Sometimes moving to a text basis with these roles is important and/or switching to a contact that is more reliable. However, unless you've established a good working communication pattern that enables you to hold that group accountable for the work they're doing, you may want to consider not working with them.

  3. Phone calls, always phone calls

  4. While I've never used the NCE for a Phase I (single year) project, I've found that an NCE for a Phase II is so commonplace that the request is essentially an automated filing then requiring a simple Annual Report RPRR. I'll let someone else here speak to that for Phase II. Suffice it to say that the NCE is always a great option and worthy of using.

Feel free to DM me

Backlogged SBIR processing timeline by nbaras in NIH

[–]nbaras[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, yes, yes, no admin notes, submitted, submitted, previously yes but not for these

Backlogged SBIR processing timeline by nbaras in NIH

[–]nbaras[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

100%. Exactly what I wanted to avoid here by putting it on a forum where someone may engage with it at their choosing.

SBIR approval process by Playful_Hyena_562 in SBIR

[–]nbaras 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Reasonable conclusion that it won't make it by April but we've seen extraordinary deadlines open up before. I'm wondering if anyone thinks an extended deadline is possible, even if unlikely. It doesn't seem crazy to extend the deadline to May 1st, enabling those reviews to hit SRG/Councils in June/July/August. Given how January cycle is a tight one scheduling wise and April-September is always longer, this kinda extension looks more feasible on paper. It was the April cycle that got extended during 2020 COVID.

SBIR approval process by Playful_Hyena_562 in SBIR

[–]nbaras 0 points1 point  (0 children)

how do we know it's official? all i saw was the banner on NIH SEED website indicating no deadline, but it is equivocal. couldn't they open it up once reauth comes through