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What is the Advisory Council?
Each Institute of the National Institutes of Health maintains a national advisory council which has two general functions: (1) to advise the Institute on policy and procedures affecting the extramural research programs and (2) to provide a second level of review for all grant and cooperative agreement applications considered by the Institute for funding. Except for fellowships, the NINDS may not award a grant unless it has been recommended for support by the National Advisory Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NANDS) Council.
The NANDS Council meets regularly three times a year: in early February, late May, and mid-September. Each meeting of the NANDS Council is about one and one half days long. A portion of this meeting is open to the public and the remainder is a closed confidential session devoted primarily to the review of applications.
In addition to application review, the NINDS Director utilizes the expertise and experience of NANDS Council members for activities such as the following:
NANDSC Membership Roster
Ben A. Barres, M.D., Ph.D. (2015)
Professor and Chair, Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine
Thomas G. Brott, M.D. (2013)
Professor of Neurology, Mayo Clinic
James C. and Sarah K. Kennedy Dean for Research, Mayo Clinic in Florida
E. Antonio Chiocca, M.D., Ph.D. (2016)
Chair, Department of Neurosurgery
Brigham and Women’s/Faulkner Hospital
Robert B. Darnell, M.D., Ph.D. (2014)
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Robert and Harriet Heilbrunn Professor of Cancer Biology and Senior Physician
The Rockefeller University
Donna M. Ferriero, M.D. (2013)
Professor, Departments of Neurology and Pediatrics
University of California, San Francisco
Byron D. Ford, Ph.D. (2016)
Professor, Department of Neurobiology
Morehouse School of Medicine
David D. Ginty, Ph.D. (2015)
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Professor, Johns Hopkins University School
David B. Goldstein, Ph.D. (2016)
Director, Center for Human Genome Variation
Duke University
Paul Gross (2015)
Former Chairman of the Board, Hydrocephalus Association
Sharon E. Hesterlee, Ph.D. (2014)
Senior Director Research and Advocacy
Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy
David M. Holtzman, M.D. (2015)
Andrew B. and Gretchen P. Jones Professor and Chair,
Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine
Eve E. Marder, Ph.D. (2014)
Victor and Gwendolyn Beinfield Professor of Neuroscience
Head, Division of Science
Brandeis University
Kevin St. P. McNaught, Ph.D. (2015)
Vice President for Medical and Scientific Programs,
Tourette Syndrome Association
Robert E. Pacifici, Ph.D. (2014)
Chief Scientific Officer, Drug Discovery and Development
CHDI Management/CHDI Foundation
Amy Comstock Rick, J.D. (2016)
Chief Executive Officer
Parkinson’s Action Network
Robert L. Ruff, M.D., Ph.D.
Ex Officio Member, Acting Director, Rehabilitation R&D Service, Veterans Affairs Central Office
Amita Sehgal, Ph.D. (2014)
John Herr Musser Professor of Neuroscience
Co-Director, Comprehensive Neuroscience Center
University of Pennsylvania Medical School
Barbara G. Vickrey, M.D., M.P.H. (2013)
Professor and Vice Chair, Department of Neurology
University of California, Los Angeles
Kimberly S. Zellmer, J.D. (2013)
Attorney, Zellmer Law Firm, LLC
1st, Vice President, Batten Disease and Support Association
Schedule of Upcoming Meetings
Meeting Dates | Location |
---|---|
May 23-24, 2013 | NIH, Building 31, Conference Room 10 |
September 12-13, 2013 | NIH, Building 45, Conference Room E1/E2 |
January 30-31, 2014 | NIH, Building 31, Conference Room 10 |
May 29-30, 2014 | NIH, Building 31, Conference Room 10 |
September 11-12, 2014 | NIH, Building 31, Conference Room 10 |
Meeting Agendas
January 31 - February 1, 2013
Archived Meeting Agendas
Minutes of Recent Meetings
January 31 - February 1, 2013
Archived Meeting Minutes
Council General Recommendations
The Institute staff may take the following actions without Council review. Council may request information on these actions at any time.
Transfer of Research Grant for Investigator Who Moves to a New Institution
Make research grant awards equal to the anticipated direct cost committed support for continuing work under the same principal investigator when he or she moves from one institution to another. Approval will not be automatic; NINDS staff may consult with the appropriate study section or Council as necessary.
Approval of New Principal Investigator or Program Director
Approve a new or interim principal investigator or program director to continue an active grant.
Extension of Project Period Dates
Take necessary action on extensions of project period end dates without additional funds.
Authority to Restore Year(s)
Make awards that appropriately restore years deleted by an initial review group.
Scientific Review and Evaluation Awards
Take final action in awarding supplements to the chairpersons of the NINDS research and training review committees in an amount necessary to carry out the functions of the committees.
The Institute may take the following actions without Council review, but will document actions and present them to Council annually for its information.
Awards for Orderly Termination or Interim Support
Make appropriate awards for orderly termination or interim support of competing continuation applications that were either not recommended for further consideration (NRFC) or recommended with a priority score too poor for payment. This procedure is to be used in those cases where sudden termination of the grant would cause a serious loss of scientific material or impose a hardship to already employed personnel. In such cases, (1) the award usually should be for a period of less than twelve months, (2) careful review should be given to the need for salaries and consumable supplies, (3) usually no funds should be provided for additional equipment or travel, and (4) in the case of training grants, stipend support should be provided for completion of training for those trainees already appointed.
Awards for Interim Period Due to a Deferral
Make an award for an appropriate amount and period of time when a recommendation of deferral on a competing continuation application results in a loss of continuity of the active research or training program.
Authority to Increase Grant Award Ceilings
Make supplemental awards or adjustments when additional funds are necessary above the amount previously recommended to carry out the scientific, administrative and fiscal intent of the grant as previously awarded, with the following limitations.
Authority to Obtain Expedited Council Approval and Issue Expedited Awards
NINDS may obtain expedited council approval in order to allow issuance of awards, where possible, in advance of the formal council meeting. Applications eligible for expedited council review include research project grants (R01s, R03s, R15s, and R21s), research program projects and specialized center grants (P01s, P20s, P30s, and P50s), and cooperative agreements (U01s and U54s) from domestic institutions that fall within the approved payline. (Applications that must be considered by the full Council are ineligible for this expedited process, including clinical trials and other applications that exceed $1,000,000 direct costs per year, applications in response to an RFA, applications in response to a PAS beyond the payline, applications with a human subjects or animal welfare concern, and applications from foreign institutions.) Approximately eight weeks before the council meeting, eligible applications for which percentiles are available will be brought to the attention of a subset of Council members. With the approval of these Council members, NINDS may issue expedited awards for those applications for which all administrative requirements have been satisfactorily met.
Last updated March 26, 2013