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10 The Essential Role of Research Sponsors
Pages 329-354

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From page 329...
... The remainder -- nearly $7 billion annually -- is provided by industry, state and local governments, foundations, and other nonprofit entities. Yet in general, research sponsors have not protected their investment by prioritizing the inclusion of disaster resilience principles and practices into the research enterprises they fund.
From page 330...
... These staff hours may be spent on providing extensions, redirecting funding, publishing new funding opportunities, or assisting with animal welfare issues (Bundesen, 2016)
From page 331...
... The committee spent substantial time considering what role research sponsors already have in helping academic research institutions prepare for disasters 3  Personal communication, Liza Bundesen, NIH Office of Extramural Research, Novem ber 17, 2016.
From page 332...
... Chapter 9 highlighted a number of federal programs relevant to building resilience in academia. Although these programs are not necessarily provided by research sponsors and do not necessarily direct-target academic research institutions, they do demonstrate a federal commitment to disaster resilience that academic research institutions can take advantage of.
From page 333...
... . The NIH Grants Policy Statement defines such expenditures as those used to make additions, improvements, modifications, replacements, rearrange ments, reinstallations, renovations, or alterations to capital assets that materially increase their value or useful life.
From page 334...
... The NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) provides guidance on, interprets, and ensures compliance with the Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals for all organizations receiving Public Health Service (PHS)
From page 335...
... Data repositories are valuable resources that can help ensure that data are shared broadly, consistently, safely, and efficiently for use across the academic biomedical research community. A central data repository can serve to facilitate the standardization of data reporting and can allow additional research to build upon previously collected data.
From page 336...
... . For example, almost two decades ago, in response to the increasing number of genetically modified mouse strains, NIH's National Center for Research Resources established the Mutant Mouse Resource Research Centers at four regional distribution facilities: Jackson Laboratory; the University of California, Davis; the University of Missouri; and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (MMRRC, 2017)
From page 337...
... Research sponsors could consider working with public- and privatesector partners with an interest in ensuring the continuity of researchrelated assets in order to develop resilient repositories, at the regional and national levels, for data, research methodology, and samples. As discussed above, the OSTP Memorandum for Increasing Access to the Results of Federally Funded Scientific Research does not cover laboratory notebooks, preliminary analyses, drafts of scientific papers, plans for future research, peer review reports, communications with colleagues, or physical objects, such as laboratory specimens (OSTP, 2013, p.
From page 338...
... Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Threat Resilience For the academic biomedical research community there are strict regulations in guidance documents that dictate the level of security for some materials or operations related to chemical, biological, and radiological threats (NRC, 2011b)
From page 339...
... Medical uses, including medical research, are governed under Title 10, Part 35 of the CFR, whose requirements govern licensing, training, and safety.12 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission also regulates radioactive materials, which may be found in research institutions and hospitals. GAPS IN RESEARCH SPONSOR RESILIENCE EFFORTS There has been no national conversation about disaster resilience at academic research institutions or about the kinds of guidelines or requirements for resilience that should be implemented to protect the research investment, nor has funding been allotted toward this.
From page 340...
... Disaster resilience is not, how ever, among these topics. The animal welfare section of the guide, while useful, is directed at ensuring compliance with the Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, which does not address disaster resilience (NIH, 2015)
From page 341...
... In addition to -- and, in some cases, providing the foundation for -- these kinds of disaster-specific responses are some standing policies. The NIH Grants Policy Statement says that institutions may submit adjustments resulting from natural disasters (e.g., loss of an animal colony)
From page 342...
... Overall, the possible response and recovery actions that NIH may take include • Permitting the limited expenditure of award funds, in accordance with grantee policy, to continue paying salaries and fringe benefits to researchers under unexpected or extraordinary circumstances; • Assisting with animal welfare issues; • Waiving certain prior approval requirements; • Providing extensions of time for financial and other reporting; or • Publishing opportunities for funded extensions or one-time admin istrative supplements to current awards targeted at institutions in particularly affected areas. NSF provides similar response and recovery assistance.
From page 343...
... . After Hurricane Sandy, NIH provided supplemental funding under the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act for administrative support and funding for restoring research facilities (NIH, 2013b)
From page 344...
... The HPH Sector protects all sectors from hazards such as terrorism, infectious disease outbreaks, and natural disasters. The academic biomedical research community is a component of the research centers referred to in section 3.2 of the sector profile of the HPH Sector-Specific Plan (DHS, 2016b)
From page 345...
... In addition, as previously described, select high-consequence pathogens and high-risk radiological sources are kept in the laboratories of the academic biomedical research community which, if the laboratories are not disaster resilient, risks an environmental release and immediate cascading consequences across all critical infrastructure sectors. The physical and economic damage to the academic biomedical research community as a consequence of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Sandy, as well as the lengthy recovery, suggests gaps in the disaster resilience of this critical infrastructure component.
From page 346...
... Working to make the academic biomedical research community more disaster resilient through the development and implementation of risk-based protective programs and resilience strategies for infrastructure would enhance the nation's disaster resilience and protect the nation's biomedical research investment. CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS Research sponsors may wish to consider taking a more assertive role in protecting their research investments through resilience initiatives and the development of policies to incentivize resilience.
From page 347...
... Sponsors could be explicit about basic emergency preparedness, design and construction standards, business continuity, and response policies and practices that awardees are encouraged to follow. This might include, for example, the integration of resilience planning for the research enterprise into an academic research institution's master plan for future campus development or into the development of business continuity plans, as described by Foster and Smith (2015)
From page 348...
... Convene a Consortium of Stakeholders to Discuss Efforts to Enhance the Disaster Resilience of the Academic Biomedical Research Community RECOMMENDATION 9: The National Institutes of Health should convene a consortium of research sponsors (both federal and private) , academic research institutions, professional associations, and private sector stakeholders to jointly discuss efforts that research sponsors can take to enhance the disaster resilience of the academic biomedical research community.
From page 349...
... Additionally, the academic biomedical research community (from f ­ ederal research sponsors to academic research institutions) should be considered a subsector of the HPH Sector and represented on the SCC as well as the GCC.
From page 350...
... There is a lack of national attention and resources directed at protecting the academic biomedical research community. Recognize and Engage the Academic Biomedical Research Community as a Subsector of the Healthcare and Public Health Critical Infrastructure Sector RECOMMENDATION 10: The Department of Health and Human Services, as the Healthcare and Public Health Sector–Specific Agency, should explicitly recognize and engage the academic biomedical re search community as a subsector of the Healthcare and Public Health Critical Infrastructure Sector, and actively work to engage the academic biomedical research community in sector-specific activities -- such as the Sector Coordinating Council and the Government Coordinating Council.
From page 351...
... 2016. Strengthening the disaster resilience of academic biomedical research communities.
From page 352...
... 2016b. NIH grants policy statement.
From page 353...
... 2010. Disaster preparedness in biocontain ment animal research facilities: Developing and implementing an incident response plan (IRP)


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