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 - 85 - National Cancer Institute Special Emphasis Panel - Authorized by Law

GENERAL INFORMATION

Committee Name	National Cancer Institute Special Emphasis Panel	Agency Name	Department of Health and Human Services
Fiscal Year	2025	Committee Number	85
Original Establishment Date	11/20/1985	Committee Status	Terminated
Actual Termination Date	6/30/2025	Committee URL	http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/sep/sep.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	12/5/1967	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*	Special Emphasis Panel

RECOMMENDATION/JUSTIFICATIONS

Agency Recommendation*	Terminate
Legislation to Terminate Required	Not Applicable
Legislation Status	Not Applicable
How does cmte accomplish its purpose?*	Special Emphasis Panels (SEPs) are composed of recognized biomedical-related and/or behavioral research authorities who represent the forefront of research and technical knowledge and who provide first-level merit review of highly scientific and technical research grant applications and/or contract proposals in the fields relating to basic and clinical sciences, and applied research and development of programs of special relevance to the NCI. The members and chairs are selected as needed for review of specific applications and contract proposals. The preclinical and clinical discovery and development program Panels, managed by the Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis (DCTD), also evaluates proposals for support to make available to the research community, on a competitive basis, contract resources for the preclinical development of drugs, biologics, clinical assays, and other developmental programs that would ultimately benefit the advancement of clinical studies. Furthermore, the Panel will provide input to NCI on scientific prioritization of National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) concepts across diseases guided by a set of criteria when there are insufficient resources to support trials for all NCTN Scientific Steering Committee approved concepts. Members selected are experts in the various fields of biomedical research. The SEP evaluates applications for their scientific and technical merit and inform the Institute to make funding decisions. The approaches taken during the review process go beyond the traditional review paradigm-special effort is taken to orient SEP members on the intent of the Institute in issuing the call for applications/proposals and about the approach to be used while reviewing the applications/proposals. Additional attention has been given to the use of information technology and the digitization of information, which reduced costs and enabled the procedures for reviewers to be more effective and efficient throughout the entire peer review process. The Special Emphasis Panels will continue to provide quality peer review for the special initiatives of the Institute. In FY 2025, the SEPs reviewed 3,235 grant applications requesting $1,459,921,963 in direct costs for the first year and a total of 226 contract proposals were also reviewed.
How is membership balanced?*	These committees have a fluid membership, with members designated to serve for individual meetings rather than formally appointed for fixed terms of service. The reviewers for each meeting are selected to evaluate grant applications and/or contract proposals for a specific, perhaps narrow, expertise area. Participants for each meeting are assembled to most efficiently cover the number and breadth of applications and contracts requiring review. Additionally, staff pays close attention to ensure a diverse and balanced committee membership with the appropriate expertise.
How frequent & relevant are cmte mtgs?*	The National Cancer Institute Special Emphasis Panel held 108 advisory committee meetings during this period. Other work group dates include: 10/9-11/2024; 3/12-14/2025; 3/30/2025 (6 meetings held in one day). In FY 2025, from May 2025 to September 2025, all the Special Emphasis Panels will be reviewed under the umbrella of Center for Scientific Review (CSR) by NCI DFOs who will be on Detail at CSR.
Why advice can't be obtained elsewhere?*	This committee is composed of recognized biomedical-related and behavioral research authorities who represent the forefront of research and technical knowledge and who provide first-level merit review of highly scientific and technical research grant applications and contract proposals. These evaluations and recommendations cannot be obtained from other sources because the specialized complex nature of the proposals requires a unique balance and breadth of expertise not available from other established sources.
Why close or partially close meetings?	The meetings of the National Cancer Institute Special Emphasis Panel were closed to the public for the review of contract proposals and grant applications. Sections 552b(c)(4) and 552b(c)(6) of the Government in the Sunshine Act permit the closing of meetings where discussions 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. The DFO and Committee Decision Maker positions are held by the same individual because of the assignment of responsibilities within the Institute. Meetings: Dr. Stoica meetings held on 3/6/2025 was not published in the Federal Register. Members: The members of this Special Emphasis Panel (SEP) do not have standing appointments and serve on an as needed basis for meetings throughout the fiscal year. Therefore, the Members list reflects meeting dates, not appointment start and end dates. While only one meeting date is listed as an appointment start and end date, a member may have attended several meetings, either as a chairperson, co-chair, or as a member, throughout the fiscal year. As a result, the Members list, including the number of chairs, may not align or directly match to specific meeting dates. Meeting rosters, including members’ affiliations and zip codes are available online at https://public.era.nih.gov/pubroster/. Reports: This committee did not produce any public reports.

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	3,235
Outcome Comment	N/A	Number Of Grants Recommended	3,235
Cost Savings*	None	Dollar Value Of Grants Recommended	$1,459,921,963.00
Cost Savings Comment	NIH supported basic and clinical research accomplishments often take years to unfold into new diagnostic tests and new ways to treat and prevent diseases.	Grants Review Comment	Grant Review
Number Of Recommendations*	69,249	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	Yes
% 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 SEP can be found at the NCI Division of Extramural Activities: Advisory Boards, Committees and Review Groups website at http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/sep/sep.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. Each Special Emphasis Panel (SEP) advises the Director, National Cancer Institute and the Director, Division of Extramural Activities, NCI, on the scientific merit of research grant and cooperative agreement applications, contract proposals in basic and clinical sciences, and applied research and development programs especially relevant to the National Cancer Institute. The preclinical and clinical discovery and development program panels, managed by the Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis (DCTD), also evaluates proposals for support to make available to the research community, on a competitive basis, contract resources for the preclinical development of drugs, biologics, clinical assays, and other developmental programs that would ultimately benefit the advancement of clinical studies. Furthermore, the panel will provide input to NCI on scientific prioritization of National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) concepts across diseases guided by a set of criteria when there are insufficient resources to support trials for all NCTN Scientific Steering Committee approved concepts. The members and chairs of a SEP are selected as needed for peer review of applications, proposals, or proposed solicitations. Members selected are authorities in the various fields of biomedical research. SEPs primarily serve to review grant applications or contract proposals for their scientific and technical merit and inform the National Cancer Advisory Board for a second level review for the Institute to make funding decisions. The system works well and allows the Institute to develop novel and innovative approaches to stimulate scientific inquiry pertaining to cancer research. The approaches taken during the peer review process go beyond the traditional review paradigm; special effort is taken to orient the SEP members on the intent of the Institute in issuing the call for applications and about the approach to be used while reviewing the applications or proposals. This method produces an efficient review process for the Institute. The SEP will continue to provide quality peer review for the special initiatives of the Institute. Additionally, use of information technology and the digitization of information to reduce costs is used to make the entire process effective and efficient. Further evidence that the SEPs are meeting their mission is evident by the overwhelmingly positive response from the program directors who attend the review sessions. Management remains vigilant during peer review activities—from the selection of peer reviewers to the preparation of the final reports. Review staff are vigilant to conflicts of interest among reviewers and other issues that could compromise the quality of the review process. Frequent interactions of the Chiefs of the four review branches: Research Programs Review Branch (RPRB), Resources and Training Review Branch (RTRB), Research Technology and Contracts Review Branch (RTCRB), and Special Review Branch (SRB) keep the peer review process uniform across various SEPs. The reviewers are highly satisfied with how the review process functions in a SEP setting as demonstrated by positive feedback from peer reviewers at the conclusion of meetings, both in written evaluations and in verbal comments to scientific review officers and staff assistants. Additionally, staff assistants and scientific review officers meet regularly to evaluate the outcome of each meeting and to suggest improvements. Various steps have been taken to improve the efficiency of the peer review process. Review staff uses digital images of grant applications from IMPAC II and reviewers use the Internet Assisted Review application within the NIH Commons site to access grant applications and other review related materials, on the web. Not only does such an approach save tax dollars, it also helps address regulatory compliance more efficiently and effectively. Orientation teleconferences are regularly used so that the review staff can explain the review process and program staff can explain the intent of the initiative whose applications are to be reviewed. In addition, the orientation teleconferences are digitally recorded so that the discussions are available for those reviewers who may not have been able to participate in the orientation. Use of this approach defines and focuses the review process. In FY25, the National Cancer Institute Special Emphasis Panel held 108 meetings, reviewing a total of 3,235 grant applications requesting $1,459,921,963 in direct costs for the first year and a total of 226 contract proposals were also reviewed.

COSTS

1. Payments to Non-Federal Members*	$585,200.00	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*	$4,955,178.00	3. Estimated Payments to Federal Staff*	$0.00
4. Payments to Consultants*	$46,400.00	4. Est. Payments to Consultants Next FY*	$0.00
5. Travel Reimb. For Non-Federal Membrs*	$0.00	5. Est Travel Reimb Non-Fed Membr nxtFY*	$0.00
6. Travel Reimb. For Federal Members*	$0.00	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	$6,153.00	10. Est. Other Costs Next FY*	$0.00
11. Total Costs	$5,592,931.00	11. Est. Total Next FY*	$0.00
Date Cost Last Modified	9/19/2025 10:03 AM	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 Health Treatment Medicine Diseases Health and Health Research

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