[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 117 (Tuesday, June 20, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Page 28079]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-12747]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

[CFDA Number: 93.085]


Office of Research Integrity; Awards Unsolicited Proposal for the 
Professionalism and Integrity in Research Program

AGENCY: Office of Research Integrity, Office of the Assistant Secretary 
for Health, Department of Health and Human Services.

ACTION: Notice of Award of a single-source unsolicited grant to 
Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

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    Recipient: Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri.
    Purpose of the Award: Grant to provide remediation training through 
the Professionalism and Integrity in Research Program (PI Program) to 
promote research integrity and prevent research misconduct.
    Amount of Award: $135,763 in Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2017 funds 
and estimated $135,665 in FFY 2018 funds subject to the enactment of 
appropriations and availability of funds.
    Project Period: July 1, 2017--June 30, 2019.
SUMMARY: The Office of Research Integrity (ORI) announces the award of 
a single-source, grant in response to an unsolicited proposal from 
Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri. The proposal submitted was 
not solicited either formally or informally by any federal government 
official.
    ORI performed an objective review of the unsolicited proposal from 
Washington University to expand and evaluate the Professionalism and 
Integrity in Research Program (PI Program), the only remediation 
program for researchers who violate expectations for the responsible 
conduct of research. Based on an external and internal review of the 
proposal, ORI determined that it has merit.
    There is a strategic importance of access to this type of training. 
Research misconduct involving Public Health Service (PHS) support is 
contrary to the interests of PHS and the federal government, the health 
and safety of the public, the integrity of research, and the 
conservation of public funds. Participants in the PI Program will 
demonstrate better research compliance and integrity outcomes, such as 
developing better, more ethical research practices. These outcomes will 
promote research integrity and help prevent future research misconduct.
    This award is being made non-competitively because there is no 
current, pending, or planned funding opportunity announcement under 
which this proposal could be competed. ORI has identified three 
additional key reasons to support rationale for awarding this 
unsolicited proposal:
    1. ORI's federal regulation directs us to focus on remediation of 
Respondents who have been found to commit research misconduct, and the 
PI Program permits a pathway for that remediation after any sanctions 
have been completed.
    2. Washington University is uniquely positioned to provide this 
type of training. As the only remediation program for researchers, the 
grantee has developed a comprehensive and intensive program that will 
improve research compliance and integrity outcomes.
    3. With this experience, Washington University is well known in the 
research community and is an important service to PHS funded 
institutions. The program has a robust and unique process for 
assessment and data analysis.
    Legislative Authority: Sec. 301 of the Public Health Service Act, 
42 U.S.C. 241

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kathryn Partin at 
[email protected] or by telephone at 240-453-8200.

    Dated: June 13, 2017.
Kathryn M. Partin,
Director of the Office of Research Integrity.
[FR Doc. 2017-12747 Filed 6-19-17; 8:45 am]
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