The document provides an overview of legislative and policy developments from late 2016 that aim to alleviate regulatory burdens on research activities, particularly those affecting higher education institutions (IHEs) and federally funded researchers. Notably, three key legislative acts are addressed: the 21st Century Cures Act, the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act, and the National Defense Authorization Act. Each act incorporates recommendations from advisory bodies such as the National Academies, National Science Board (NSB), Government Accountability Office (GAO), and others, with varying degrees of specificity regarding mechanisms to streamline research regulations. Major initiatives detailed include the establishment of interagency working groups and boards, such as the Research Policy Board and new interagency working groups on research regulation, intended to harmonize and review existing regulatory requirements, minimize duplicative oversight, and provide structured stakeholder input.
Specific topics receiving legislative or administrative attention include raising the micropurchase threshold, modifying subrecipient monitoring protocols, harmonizing financial conflict-of-interest policies, reviewing and potentially simplifying animal research and effort reporting regulations, evaluating financial reporting procedures, and encouraging the development of more unified grant application and reporting systems. Several recommendations encourage the use of centralized databases and repositories for researcher profiles and assurances to reduce administrative repetition. While the 21st Century Cures Act implements the largest number of recommendations directly, the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act also mandates key reviews and studies, and the National Defense Authorization Act includes measures increasing the micropurchase threshold. Overall, the document reflects a concerted, cross-agency effort, driven by both legislative and administrative action, to streamline regulatory frameworks and reduce administrative workload for federally funded researchers without compromising accountability or oversight.
