[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 70 (Wednesday, April 12, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22050-22051]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-07700]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of 
Alternative Methods; Notice of Public Meeting; Request for Public Input

AGENCY: National Institutes of Health, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of 
Alternative Methods (ICCVAM) will hold a public forum to share 
information and facilitate direct communication of ideas and 
suggestions from stakeholders. Interested persons may attend in person 
or view the meeting remotely by webcast. Time will be set aside for 
questions and public statements on the topics discussed. Registration 
is requested for attending in person and required for viewing the 
webcast and presenting oral statements. Information about the meeting 
and registration are available at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/iccvamforum-2023.

DATES: Meeting: May 18 and 19, 2023, 9 a.m. to approximately 3 p.m. EDT 
both days.
    Registration for Onsite Meeting: Deadline is May 17, 2023. 
Registration for Webcast: Deadline is May 19, 2023. Registration for 
Oral Statements: Deadline is May 9, 2023.
    Registration to attend in person is requested; registration to view 
the webcast and present oral public statements is required.

ADDRESSES: Meeting Location: William H. Natcher Conference Center, 
National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD 20892. Meeting web 
page: Registration and other meeting materials are at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/iccvamforum-2023. A preliminary agenda will be 
posted on this page by May 2, 2023.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Nicole Kleinstreuer, Director, 
National Toxicology Program Interagency Center for the Evaluation of 
Alternative Toxicological Methods (NICEATM), email: 
[email protected], telephone: 984-287-3150.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Background: ICCVAM, a congressionally mandated committee, 
coordinates the development and validation of alternative testing 
strategies that protect human health and the environment while 
replacing, reducing, or refining animal use.
    ICCVAM's goals include promotion of national and international 
partnerships between governmental and nongovernmental groups, including 
academia, industry, advocacy groups, and other key stakeholders. To 
foster these partnerships ICCVAM initiated annual public forums in 2014 
to share information and facilitate direct communication of ideas and 
suggestions from stakeholders (79 FR 25136).
    This year's meeting will be held on May 18 and 19, 2023. NICEATM 
and ICCVAM members will give presentations on current activities 
related to the development and validation of alternative test methods 
and approaches.
    There will be opportunities for participants to ask clarifying or 
follow-up questions of the ICCVAM members about their presentations. 
Instructions for submitting these questions will be provided to webcast 
viewers prior to the event. The agenda will also include time for 
public oral statements relevant to the ICCVAM mission and current 
activities from participants who have registered to do so in advance.
    Preliminary Agenda and Other Meeting Information: A preliminary 
agenda will be posted by May 2 at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/iccvamforum-2023. Interested individuals are encouraged to visit this 
web page to stay abreast of the most current meeting information.
    Meeting and Registration: This meeting is open to the public. The 
public may attend the meeting at NIH, where attendance is limited only 
by the space available, or view remotely by webcast. Those planning to 
attend the meeting in person are encouraged to register at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/iccvamforum-2023 by May 17, 2023, to facilitate 
planning for appropriate meeting space. Registration for the webcast is 
required and is open through 3 p.m. EDT on May 19, 2023, at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/iccvamforum-2023. Registrants will receive 
instructions on how to access and participate in the webcast in the 
email confirming their registration.
    NIH visitor and security information is available at http://www.nih.gov/about/visitor/index.htm. Individuals with disabilities who 
need accommodation to participate in this event should contact Milene 
Brownlow at phone: 984-287-3364 or email:

[[Page 22051]]

[email protected]. TTY users should contact the Federal TTY Relay 
Service at 800-877-8339. Requests should be made at least five business 
days in advance of the event.
    Additional Health and Safety Guidance: Before attending a meeting 
at an NIH facility, it is important that visitors review the NIH COVID-
19 Safety Plan at https://ors.od.nih.gov/sr/dohs/safety/NIH-covid-19-safety-plan/Pages/default.aspx for information about requirements and 
procedures for entering NIH facilities, especially when the COVID-19 
community level is medium. If the COVID-19 level is high, the meeting 
will be held virtually.
    In addition, the Safer Federal Workforce website has FAQs for 
visitors at https://www.saferfederalworkforce.gov/faq/visitors/. Please 
note that if an individual has a COVID-19 diagnosis within 10 days of 
the meeting, that person must attend virtually. (For more information 
please read NIH's Requirements for Persons after Exposure at https://ors.od.nih.gov/sr/dohs/safety/NIH-covid-19-safety-plan/COVID-assessment-testing/Pages/persons-after-exposure.aspx and What Happens 
When Someone Tests Positive at https://ors.od.nih.gov/sr/dohs/safety/NIH-covid-19-safety-plan/COVID-assessment-testing/Pages/test-positive.aspx.) Registration to attend the meeting virtually will be 
available through the end of the meeting at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/iccvamforum-2023. Please continue checking these websites for the 
most up-to-date guidance as the meeting date approaches.
    Request for Oral Public Statements: In addition to time for 
clarifying or follow-up questions following scheduled presentations, 
time will be allotted during the meeting for oral public statements 
with associated slides on topics relevant to ICCVAM's mission. Separate 
registration for those wishing to provide public statements is required 
and is open through May 9, 2023, at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/iccvamforum-2023. Any meeting attendee or webcast viewer may ask 
clarifying questions during the appropriate times in the agenda. The 
additional registration is only required for those who wish to give 
separate public statements. The number and length of presentations may 
be limited based on available time. Submitters will be identified by 
their name and affiliation and/or sponsoring organization, if 
applicable. Participants registered to present oral public statements 
must email their statement to [email protected] by May 12, 
2023, to allow time for review by NICEATM and ICCVAM and posting to the 
meeting page prior to the forum. Persons submitting public statements 
and/or associated slides should include their name, affiliation (if 
any), mailing address, telephone, email, and sponsoring organization 
(if any) with the document. Guidelines for public statements are at 
http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/about_ntp/guidelines_public_comments_508.pdf. Persons presenting oral public 
statements will be contacted to arrange the logistics of their 
presentations.
    Written statements on topics relevant to ICCVAM's mission may be 
submitted to support an oral public statement or as standalone 
documents. These should be emailed to [email protected] by 
May 12, 2023. Public statements received prior to the May 12 deadline 
will be distributed to NICEATM and ICCVAM members before the meeting. 
Written public statements received after the deadline may be reviewed 
by NICEATM and ICCVAM at a future date. Materials submitted to 
accompany oral public statements or standalone written statements 
should include the submitters name, affiliation (if any), mailing 
address, telephone, email, and sponsoring organization (if any) with 
the document. Guidelines for public statements are at http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/about_ntp/guidelines_public_comments_508.pdf.
    Responses to this notice are voluntary. No proprietary, classified, 
confidential, or sensitive information should be included in statements 
submitted in response to this notice or presented during the meeting. 
This request for input is for planning purposes only and is not a 
solicitation for applications or an obligation on the part of the U.S. 
Government to provide support for any ideas identified in response to 
the request. Please note that the U.S. Government will not pay for the 
preparation of any information submitted or for its use of that 
information.
    Background Information on ICCVAM and NICEATM: ICCVAM is an 
interagency committee composed of representatives from 17 federal 
regulatory and research agencies that require, use, generate, or 
disseminate toxicological and safety testing information. ICCVAM 
conducts technical evaluations of new, revised, and alternative safety 
testing methods and integrated testing strategies with regulatory 
applicability. ICCVAM also promotes the scientific validation and 
regulatory acceptance of testing methods that more accurately assess 
the safety and hazards of chemicals and products and replace, reduce, 
or refine animal use.
    The ICCVAM Authorization Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 285l-3) establishes 
ICCVAM as a permanent interagency committee of the National Institute 
of Environmental Health Sciences and provides the authority for ICCVAM 
involvement in activities relevant to the development of alternative 
test methods. Additional information about ICCVAM can be found at 
https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/iccvam.
    NICEATM administers ICCVAM, provides scientific and operational 
support for ICCVAM-related activities, and conducts and publishes 
analyses and evaluations of data from new, revised, and alternative 
testing approaches. NICEATM and ICCVAM work collaboratively to evaluate 
new and improved testing approaches applicable to the needs of U.S. 
federal agencies. NICEATM and ICCVAM welcome the public nomination of 
new, revised, and alternative test methods and strategies for 
validation studies and technical evaluations. Additional information 
about NICEATM can be found at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/niceatm.

    Dated: April 6, 2023.
Richard P. Woychik,
Director, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and 
National Toxicology Program, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 2023-07700 Filed 4-11-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P