FACACLASSIC

Note: An Annual Comprehensive Review, as required by §7 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, is conducted each year on committee data entered for the previous fiscal year (referred to as the reporting year). The data for the reporting year is not considered verified until this review is complete and the data is moved to history for an agency/department. See the Data From Previous Years section at the bottom of this page for the committee’s historical, verified data.

Details on agency responses to committee recommendations can be found under the Performance Measures section for each committee in the fields “Agency Feedback” and “Agency Feedback Comment.”

HHS - 814 - National Cancer Institute Initial Review Group - Authorized by Law

GENERAL INFORMATION

Committee Name	National Cancer Institute Initial Review Group	Agency Name	Department of Health and Human Services
Fiscal Year	2025	Committee Number	814
Original Establishment Date	11/20/1985	Committee Status	Terminated
Actual Termination Date	6/30/2025	Committee URL	http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/irg/irg.htm
Actual Merged Date		Presidential Appointments*	No
New Committee This FY	No	Max Number of Members*	Unlimited
Terminated This FY	Yes	Designated Fed Officer Position Title*	Associate Director, Office of Referral, Review and Program Coordination
Merged This FY		Designated Federal Officer Prefix
Current Charter Date	12/29/1981	Designated Federal Officer First Name*	Shamala
Date Of Renewal Charter		Designated Federal Officer Middle Name	K.
Projected Termination Date		Designated Federal Officer Last Name*	Srinivas
Exempt From Renewal*	Yes	Designated Federal Officer Suffix	Ph.D.
Specific Termination Authority	2025 Secretary Directive	Designated Federal Officer Phone*	240-276-6442
Establishment Authority*	Authorized by Law	Designated Federal Officer Fax*	240-276-7682
Specific Establishment Authority*	42 U.S.C. 284(c)(3)	Designated Federal Officer Email*	shamala@mail.nih.gov
Effective Date Of Authority*	11/4/1988
Exempt From EO 13875 Discretionary Cmte	Not Applicable
Committee Type*	Continuing
Presidential*	No
Committee Function*	Grant Review Committee

RECOMMENDATION/JUSTIFICATIONS

Agency Recommendation*	Terminate
Legislation to Terminate Required	Not Applicable
Legislation Status	Not Applicable
How does cmte accomplish its purpose?*	The committee is composed of recognized biomedical and/or behavioral research authorities who represent the forefront of research and have technical knowledge to provide first-level scientific and technical merit evaluation of research grant applications in the areas of carcinogenesis, cancer biology, cancer center administration, radiological and surgical oncology, cancer chemotherapy, cancer clinical trials, cancer epidemiology, cancer prevention and therapy, cancer control, cancer diagnosis, training of clinician scientists, education of health and population science professionals, development of cancer instruction curriculum, patient-oriented research, and career development of basic and clinician scientists in disciplines of relevance to cancer. In FY 2025, the committee met 8 times and reviewed a total of 476 applications requesting a total of $141,865,914.00 in direct costs for the first year. This is a very substantial portion of the NCI extramural research budget. The committee also sponsored 5 site visits by work group panels, which then reported back to the committee about the details of the large multicomponent applications under review. The success of the committee is illustrated by its accomplishments in FY 2025.
How is membership balanced?*	The members of committee are authorities who are knowledgeable in the areas of carcinogenesis, cancer biology, cancer center administration, radiological and surgical oncology, cancer chemotherapy, cancer clinical trials, cancer epidemiology, cancer prevention and therapy, cancer control, cancer diagnosis, training of clinician scientists, education of health and population science professionals, development of cancer instruction curriculum, patient-oriented research, and career development of basic and clinician scientists in disciplines of relevance to cancer.
How frequent & relevant are cmte mtgs?*	The committee met 8 times during this reporting period. Work group meetings were conducted on the following dates: 10/23-25/24; 01/13-15/2/25; 02/18-20/25; 02/24-26/24; 03/3-5/25 (5 Meetings).
Why advice can't be obtained elsewhere?*	The committee's review of all NCI designated Cancer Centers, career development, training and population and patient-oriented training applications provides uniformity in compliance with the appropriate guidelines and consistency in scientific evaluation of each type of grant applications. These evaluations and recommendations cannot be obtained from other sources because the complex nature of the grant applications and the rapid pace of scientific progress in the fields require a unique balance and breadth of expertise not available at the NIH or from other established sources.
Why close or partially close meetings?	The meetings of the committee were closed to the public for the review of grant applications. Sections 552b(c)(4) and 552b(c)(6) of the Government in the Sunshine Act permit the closing of meetings where discussion could reveal confidential trade secrets or commercial property such as patentable material and personal information, the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.
Recommendation Remarks	Per "2025 Secretary Directive" this FACA Committee has been terminated. Reports: This committee did not produce any public reports. Members: The term for Maria Avantaggiati, Doris Benbrook, Andrew Dudley and Michael Nishimura (Chairs) have changed due to their term of service end date 6/30/2025. Susan Blaney, Nola Hylton-Watson, Primo Lara, Ramon Parsons, Rolf Renne, Donna Albertson, Bruno Calabretta, Elizabeth Dees, Ruth Etzioni, Lisa Flowers, Aimee James, Kay Macleod, Usha Menon, Aysegul Sahin, Vanessa Sheppard, Asfar Azmi, Carma Bylund, Chun-Wei David Chen Pawel Kalinski, Addanki Kumar, Catherine Marshall, Michael Ochs, Dinesh Rao, Veronica Rodriguez-Bravo, Muhammad Zaidi, Wei Zhou, Lorraine Dean, Lori Rink, Charles Rogers, Arun Wiita and Jennifer Woyach, term of service end date is 6/30/2025. This FACA Committees has been terminated, per "2025 Secretary Directive". The DFO and Committee Decision Maker positions are held by the same individual because of the assignment of responsibilities within the Institute. In general, initial/integrated review group (IRG) members serve up to six years, which is documented in the Members list. Temporary members are individuals recruited based on expertise needed for each meeting. Some temporary members may attend one meeting only while others may attend multiple meetings. Instead of appointment start and end dates, each meeting date on which the temporary member served is identified on the Members list. Meeting rosters, including members’ affiliations and zip codes are available online at https://public.era.nih.gov/pubroster/.

PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Outcome Improvement To Health Or Safety*	No	Action Reorganize Priorities*	No
Outcome Trust In Government	No	Action Reallocate Resources	No
Outcome Major Policy Changes	No	Action Issued New Regulations	No
Outcome Advance In Scientific Research	Yes	Action Proposed Legislation	No
Outcome Effective Grant Making	Yes	Action Approved Grants Or Other Payments	Yes
Outcome Improved Service Delivery	No	Action Other	No
Outcome Increased Customer Satisfaction	No	Action Comment	An action of approved or recommended for grants receiving initial peer review by this committee does not infer that the grant will be or has been funded. Research grant applications submitted to NIH must go through a two-step review process that includes the initial peer review for scientific and technical merit and a second step of review and approval by a National Advisory Council for program relevance. In addition, prior to an award or funding being made, NIH staff must conduct an administrative review for a number of other considerations. These include alignment with NIH's funding principles, review of the project budget, assessment of the applicant's management systems, determination of applicant eligibility, and compliance with public policy requirements. After all these steps have been completed, NIH officials make funding decisions on individual grant applications.
Outcome Implement Laws/Reg Requirements	No	Grants Review*	Yes
Outcome Other	No	Number Of Grants Reviewed	476
Outcome Comment	N/A	Number Of Grants Recommended	476
Cost Savings*	None	Dollar Value Of Grants Recommended	$141,865,914.00
Cost Savings Comment	NIH supported basic and clinical research accomplishments often take many years to unfold into new diagnostic tests and new ways to treat and prevent diseases.	Grants Review Comment	Grant Review
Number Of Recommendations*	17,186	Access Contact Designated Fed. Officer*	Yes
Number Of Recommendations Comment	Grant Review	Access Agency Website	Yes
% of Recs Fully Implemented*	0.00%	Access Committee Website	Yes
% of Recs Fully Implemented Comment	Information on the research funded by NIH is available through the RePORT (Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tool) website. RePORT provides access to reports, data, and analyses of NIH research activities that advance the mission of the NIH, including information on NIH expenditures, strategic plans, reports on NIH funding, and reports on the organization and people involved in NIH research and research training. The RePORT website is located at http://report.nih.gov.	Access GSA FACA Website	Yes
% of Recs Partially Implemented*	0.00%	Access Publications	No
% of Recs Partially Implemented Comment	Information on the research funded by NIH is available through the RePORT (Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tool) website. RePORT provides access to reports, data, and analyses of NIH research activities that advance the mission of the NIH, including information on NIH expenditures, strategic plans, reports on NIH funding, and reports on the organization and people involved in NIH research and research training. The RePORT website is located at http://report.nih.gov.	Access Other	Yes
Agency Feedback*	Yes	Access Comment	Information on the IRG can be found at the NCI Division of Extramural Activities: Advisory Boards, Committees and Review Groups website at http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/irg/irg.htm. Each NCI FACA committee’s information is listed on this site. Information listed includes the committee's charter and rosters.
Agency Feedback Comment*	Information resulting from closed initial peer review meetings is subject to the Freedom of Information Act. The public can view information on research projects funded by NIH on the RePORT (Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tool) website located at http://report.nih.gov.	Narrative Description*	NIH's mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability. NIH works toward that mission by supporting the research of non-Federal scientists in universities, medical schools, hospitals, and research institutions throughout the country and abroad. Section 492 of the PHS Act states that The Secretary...shall by regulation require appropriate technical and scientific peer review of -- (A) applications...; and (B) biomedical and behavioral research and development contracts... The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), one of eight agencies that compose the Public Health Service (PHS) in the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The National Cancer Institute coordinates the National Cancer Program, which conducts and supports research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs with respect to the cause, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cancer, rehabilitation from cancer, and the continuing care of cancer patients and the families of cancer patients. The mission of the committee (Initial Review Group) is to advise the Director of the National Cancer Institute and the Director of the Division of Extramural Activities, NCI, about the scientific and technical merit of research-related grants and cooperative agreements, and contract proposals, research training, and career development. The scientific areas considered in the committee include carcinogenesis, cancer biology, cancer center administration, radiological and surgical oncology, cancer chemotherapy, cancer clinical trials, cancer epidemiology, cancer prevention and therapy, cancer control, cancer diagnosis, training of clinician scientists, education of health and population science professionals, development of cancer instruction curriculum, patient- oriented research, and career development of basic and clinician scientists in disciplines of relevance to the cancer. The mission of the committee is accomplished with its composition of recognized experts in biomedical and behavioral areas who represent the forefront of research, have technical knowledge relating to cancer and ensure fair, equitable, and unbiased evaluation. It provides first-level scientific and technical merit evaluation of applications for grants including applications for individual investigator-initiated research projects; multi- component research programs such as applications submitted for Cancer Center Support Grant, institutional cancer training and education programs, and individual career development awards to reduce the morbidity and mortality from cancer. The grant applications address all aspects of basic, translational, and clinical research, as well as career development, training and population and patient-oriented training relevant to the cause, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cancer. The effort of the committee therefore helps to fund and maintain high-quality cancer research and research infrastructure in the United States and also facilitates training of new scientists and clinicians at various stages of their careers in cancer research. Several pilot studies to determine ways to save tax dollars in the operation of the committee have been implemented. These include, the use of electronic media to send review related materials including grant applications to committee members, the use of streamlined review procedures to reduce the number of meeting days required, and the use of teleconference calls or other technology to eliminate travel expenses for some committee members. Additionally, committee members are using the Internet Assisted Review application within the NIH Commons site to access applications and other review related materials electronically. The main goal of the committee is to maintain the current high quality of peer review in order to identify the most meritorious applications for research, research infrastructure and research training in the areas of prevention, detection, diagnosis, and therapy of various cancers. Management of the committee will continue to incorporate technological advances to facilitate the committee members to evaluate the scientific and technical merit of the applications more efficiently.

COSTS

1. Payments to Non-Federal Members*	$102,700.00	1. Est Paymnts to Non-Fed Membrs Nxt FY*	$0.00
2. Payments to Federal Members*	$0.00	2. Est. Payments to Fed Members Next FY*	$0.00
3. Payments to Federal Staff*	$836,236.00	3. Estimated Payments to Federal Staff*	$0.00
4. Payments to Consultants*	$32,600.00	4. Est. Payments to Consultants Next FY*	$0.00
5. Travel Reimb. For Non-Federal Membrs*		5. Est Travel Reimb Non-Fed Membr nxtFY*	$0.00
6. Travel Reimb. For Federal Members*		6. Est Travel Reimb For Fed Members*	$0.00
7. Travel Reimb. For Federal Staff*	$0.00	7. Est. Travel Reimb to Fed Staf Nxt FY*	$0.00
8. Travel Reimb. For Consultants*	$0.00	8. Est Travel Reimb to Consltnts Nxt FY*	$0.00
10. Other Costs	$47,141.00	10. Est. Other Costs Next FY*	$0.00
11. Total Costs	$1,018,677.00	11. Est. Total Next FY*	$0.00
Date Cost Last Modified	9/19/2025 12:46 PM	Est. Fed Staff Support Next FY*	0.00
Federal Staff Support (FTE)*		Est Cost Remarks	Per "2025 Secretary Directive" this FACA Committee has been terminated.
Cost Remarks	Actual costs are lower than those projected last year due to the termination of the committee.

Interest Areas

Category Area Medicine Diseases Health and Health Research Research Basic Research

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