The document is a formal letter from Anthony P. DeCrappeo, President of the Council on Governmental Relations (COGR), addressed to Dr. Walter T. Schaffer of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It addresses NIH’s newly implemented policy on Multiple Principal Investigator (PI) Awards—a significant step toward facilitating team science. The COGR expresses broad support for this move, acknowledging its utility in enhancing both recognition of scientific contributions and access to project information through improved platforms such as eRA Commons and CRISP. The letter highlights the importance of including all key scientific contributors, not just principal investigators, in these databases for proper attribution of intellectual contributions.
While supportive, the COGR provides constructive feedback and recommendations concerning several aspects of the policy’s rollout and operation. The letter calls for clearer communication regarding the roles, responsibilities, and shared accountability of multiple PIs, suggesting that definitions and requirements be consolidated in the policy overview rather than scattered within FAQs. Concerns are raised over fund allocation processes, leadership plans, the burden placed on designated contact PIs, and the potential impact of these policies on audit procedures and institutional practices. The COGR further recommends that NIH monitor the impact of peer review on multiple PI initiatives to ensure fairness, clarify the use and selection of leadership models, and modernize progress reporting and departmental ranking systems. Overall, the document underscores COGR’s ongoing commitment to collaborating with NIH to refine these policies to best support multi-investigator collaborative research.
