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National Institutes of Health: Better Data Will Improve Understanding of Federal Contributions to Drug Development
GAO-23-105656
May 04, 2023
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
National Institutes of Health The Director of NIH should update the Grants Policy Statement and NIH training materials to provide clear guidance that the government interest statement in a patent arising from NIH-funded research should name National Institutes of Health as the federal agency and correctly identify NIH awards using, at the minimum, the institute code and serial number. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
National Institutes of Health The Director of NIH should develop a procedure describing how researchers can access NIH microdata for the purposes of studying and evaluating NIH's contributions to developing new drugs and treatments. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Animal Use in Research: NIH Should Strengthen Oversight of Projects It Funds at Foreign Facilities
GAO-23-105736
Mar 30, 2023
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
National Institutes of Health The Director of NIH should take steps—such as conducting site visits to foreign facilities that perform NIH-funded animal research or requiring third-party verification—to provide reasonable assurance that award recipients' annual self-reported project information is reliable and adequate to ensure the humane care and use of laboratory animals. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Small Business Research Programs: Reporting on Award Timeliness Could Be Enhanced
GAO-23-105591
Oct 12, 2022
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2 Open Recommendations
1 Priority
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Small Business Administration
Priority Rec.
This is a priority recommendation.
The Administrator of the Small Business Administration should develop, document, and execute a plan to (1) identify actions that could improve timely publication of its annual report to Congress, and (2) implement the actions identified. (Recommendation 1)
Open
SBA concurred with this recommendation. In its April 2023 response to our report, SBA described some steps taken to implement it including providing agencies an opportunity to submit required information earlier, and convening an annual meeting with agency representatives to discuss opportunities to streamline the annual report. We will reassess the status of this recommendation when SBA provides additional information on its implementation.
Small Business Administration The Administrator of the Small Business Administration should add information on award timeliness to the public online award database. (Recommendation 2)
Open
SBA concurred with this recommendation. In its April 2023 response to our report, SBA stated that the SBIR.gov online award database is being modernized to enhance the public user experience. SBA stated that is working to address this recommendation as a component of the SBIR.gov modernization effort. We will reassess the status of this recommendation when SBA provides additional information on its implementation.

National Science Foundation: Better Reporting Could Give More Visibility into Gains in States' Research Competitiveness
GAO-22-105043
Aug 11, 2022
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
National Science Foundation The Director of the NSF should direct EPSCoR to enhance its annual reports to Congress to more fully convey the program's gains. For example, the reports could include measures of jurisdictions' success in broadening participation in STEM. (Recommendation 1)
Open
NSF concurred and, as of October 2022, planned to address this recommendation in 2023 in its annual report on EPSCoR that will be submitted with the fiscal year 2024 budget request to Congress. In particular, NSF stated that it was planning enhancements to the report to link programmatic outcomes with program goals and that these enhancements would include additional data on the program's gains in broadening participation in STEM and economic development. We will update the status of this recommendation when NSF submits its report.
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