COGR/AAU/APLU Submit Joint Letter Thanking NIH for Rescinding NOT-OD- 16-088

The Association of American Universities (AAU), Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), and Council on Governmental Relations (COGR) collectively addressed a letter to Dr. Michael S. Lauer of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) expressing concerns regarding the proposed policy (NOT-OD-16-088) to publicly release the names of NIH-funded research project personnel via the NIH RePORTER system. The organizations argue that this policy could place undue risks on the privacy and safety of researchers, particularly those involved in sensitive or controversial research areas such as animal model or fetal tissue studies, which have faced vocal opposition and threats in the past. Additionally, they contend that the proposed disclosure would not accurately reflect the NIH-supported workforce, as it would include individuals not directly funded by NIH due to the way personnel are reported in project progress documents. The letter concludes by welcoming further dialogue with NIH to seek alternative methods for appropriately representing NIH activities in a manner that safeguards both data accuracy and the well-being of the research community.