[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 243 (Thursday, December 18, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 70583]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-31178]


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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 Pub. L. 92-
463 (Federal Advisory Committee Act) that a meeting of the 
Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review 
Board will be held on January 27-28, 2004, at the J.W. Marriott Hotel, 
1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC. The sessions are 
scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. and end at 5:30 p.m. each day.
    The purpose of the Board 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 January 27 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 January 27, from 9 a.m. through January 28, 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 
peresonal 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 Pub. L. 92-463 as amended by 
section 5(c) of Pub. L. 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) 254-0054.

    Dated: December 11, 2003.

    By Direction of the Secretary:
E. Philip Riggin,
Committee Managegment Officer.
[FR Doc. 03-31178 Filed 12-17-03; 8:45 am]
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