HR 5002 — ACE Research Act

(a) Appointment The National Institutes of Health shall be headed by the Director of NIH who shall be appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Director of NIH shall perform functions as provided under subsection (b) and as the Secretary may otherwise prescribe. (b) Duties and authority In carrying out the purposes of section 241 of this title, the Secretary, acting through the Director of NIH— (1) shall carry out this subchapter, including being responsible for the overall direction of the National Institutes of Health and for the establishment and implementation of general policies respecting the management and operation of programs and activities within the National Institutes of Health; (2) shall coordinate and oversee the operation of the national research institutes, national centers, and administrative entities within the National Institutes of Health; (3) shall, in consultation with the heads of the national research institutes and national centers, be responsible for program coordination across the national research institutes and national centers, including conducting priority-setting reviews, to ensure that the research portfolio of the National Institutes of Health is balanced and free of unnecessary duplication, and takes advantage of collaborative, cross-cutting research; (4) shall assemble accurate data to be used to assess research priorities, including— (A) information to better evaluate scientific opportunity, public health burdens, and progress in reducing health disparities; and (B) data on study populations of clinical research, funded by or conducted at each national research institute and national center, which— (i) specifies the inclusion of— (I) women; (II) members of minority groups; (III) relevant age categories, including pediatric subgroups; and (IV) other demographic variables as the Director of the National Institutes of Health determines appropriate; (ii) is disaggregated by research area, condition, and disease categories; and (iii) is to be made publicly available on the Internet website of the National Institutes of Health; (5) shall ensure that scientifically based strategic planning is implemented in support of research priorities as determined by the agencies of the National Institutes of Health, and through the development, implementation, and updating of the strategic plan developed under subsection (m); (6) shall ensure that the resources of the National Institutes of Health are sufficiently allocated for research projects identified in strategic plans; (7) (A) shall, through the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives— (i) identify research that represents important areas of emerging scientific opportunities, rising public health challenges, or knowledge gaps that deserve special emphasis and would benefit from conducting or supporting additional research that involves collaboration between 2 or more national research institutes or national centers, or would otherwise benefit from strategic coordination and planning; (ii) include information on such research in reports under section 283 of this title; and (iii) in the case of such research supported with funds referred to in subparagraph (B)— (I) require as appropriate that proposals include milestones and goals for the research; (II) require that the proposals include timeframes for funding of the research; and (III) ensure appropriate consideration of proposals for which the principal investigator is an individual who has not previously served as the principal investigator of research conducted or supported by the National Institutes of Health; (B) (i) may, with respect to funds reserved under section 282a(c)(1) of this title for the Common Fund, allocate such funds to the national research institutes and national centers for conducting and supporting research that is identified under subparagraph (A); and (ii) shall, with respect to funds appropriated to the Div...