[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 101 (Tuesday, May 27, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 28888]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-13077]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit 
Review Board; Notice of Meeting

    The Department of Veterans Affairs gives notice under Public Law 
92-463 (Federal Advisory Committee Act) that a meeting of the 
Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review 
Board will be held on July 29-30, 2003, at the Hamilton Crowne Plaza 
Hotel, 1001 14th Street, NW., Washington, DC. The sessions are 
scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. and end at 5:30 p.m. The purpose of the 
meeting is to review rehabilitation research and development 
applications for scientific and technical merit and to make 
recommendations to the Director, Rehabilitation Research and 
Development Service, regarding their funding.
    The meeting will be open to the public for the July 29 session from 
8 a.m. to 9 a.m. for the discussion of administrative matters, the 
general status of the program and the administrative details of the 
review process. On July 29, from 9 a.m. through July 30, the meeting 
will be closed for the Board's review of research and development 
applications.
    This review involves oral comments, discussion of site visits, 
staff and consultant critiques of proposed research protocols, and 
similar analytical documents that necessitate the consideration of the 
personal qualifications, performance and competence of individual 
research investigators. Disclosure of such information would constitute 
a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. Disclosure would 
also reveal research proposals and research underway which could lead 
to the loss of these projects to third parties and thereby frustrate 
future agency research efforts.
    Thus, the closing is in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(6), and 
(c)(9)(B) and the determination of the Secretary of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs under Sections 10(d) of Public Law 92-463 as amended 
by Section 5(c) of Public Law 94-409.
    Those who plan to attend the open session should contact Ms. 
Victoria Mongiardo, Program Analyst, Rehabilitation Research and 
Development Service (122P), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20420, at (202) 408-3684.

    Dated: May 19, 2003.

    By Direction of the Secretary:
E. Philip Riggin,
Committee Management Officer.
[FR Doc. 03-13077 Filed 5-23-03; 8:45 am]
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