Introduction
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Science Policy (OSP) has unveiled a Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) for Administrative Supplements, signaling a commitment to advancing bioethical research and capacity building. This initiative aims to support projects focusing on the ethical considerations intrinsic to biomedical and health-related behavioral research.
Purpose
The primary purpose of the NOSI is to foster research on bioethical issues and enhance the capacity for bioethics research. This includes developing an evidence base that informs future policy directions and addressing challenges associated with integrating bioethics into scientific priorities.
Background
Ethical considerations play a pivotal role in translating scientific advances into practice. Bioethics research contributes valuable data to biomedical, health-related, and behavioral science research, aligning with NIH’s scientific priorities. The investment in bioethics demonstrates a commitment to ethical research, fostering public participation and trust in the research enterprise.
Specific Areas of Interest
The NOSI highlights specific areas of interest, encouraging research in bioethical issues related to digital health, real-world data, patient and community engagement, return of individual research results, data sharing, and new/emerging technology development. Examples range from analyzing ethical issues in digital health technologies to assessing participant preferences for the return of research results.
New and Emerging Technology Development
The NOSI emphasizes researching topics like gene editing, organoids, AI/ML, neural implants, and more. It aims to address disparities in standards for new technologies, analytical platforms, and reporting of results. The focus is maximizing translatability, minimizing bias, and building the capacity needed for ethical and equitable development and use of these technologies.
Capacity Building
A notable aspect of this initiative is the emphasis on capacity building. The NIH is interested in supporting projects that directly strengthen and sustain the field of bioethics. These include developing educational content, innovative resources, and tools addressing bioethical challenges. Notably, the announcement explicitly states that the NIH will not support projects not primarily focused on bioethics.
Conclusion
NIH’s Notice of Special Interest in Bioethics Research is a call to action for researchers and institutions passionate about the ethical dimensions of scientific inquiry. This initiative contributes to the evidence base for future policies and aims to keep bioethics at the forefront of scientific endeavors.
Visit the official notice for more information, including application and submission information.
