NIH Center for Scientific Review: Notice of Closed Grant Review Meetings (April 27-28, 2026)
AI-generated summary for informational purposes only. Not legal advice. See the original source for the authoritative text.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Center for Scientific Review (CSR) has announced ten closed peer-review meetings scheduled for April 27-28, 2026, held virtually at NIH's Rockledge II facility in Bethesda, Maryland. These meetings involve multiple study sections and special emphasis panels tasked with reviewing and evaluating federal grant applications across a broad range of biomedical and behavioral research disciplines. The meetings are closed to the public under 5 U.S.C. §§ 552b(c)(4) and 552b(c)(6), as the discussions involve confidential trade secrets, commercially sensitive or patentable material, and personal information about grant applicants. Closure is consistent with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), section 1009. The ten panels cover diverse scientific domains including neurosciences and bioengineering, genetics of health and disease, drug discovery and pharmacology, health promotion in communities, addiction risks, tuberculosis research, Native American health, tobacco regulatory science, and cognitive/motor rehabilitation. Each panel is led by a designated Scientific Review Officer (SRO) who serves as the primary contact. No regulatory changes, funding allocations, or binding policy decisions are made in this notice; it is purely an administrative announcement of scheduled review activities required by federal transparency obligations.
AI-generated summary. May contain errors. Refer to official sources for legal decisions.
Key Changes
- Ten NIH peer-review panels scheduled for April 27-28, 2026 at NIH Rockledge II, Bethesda, MD (virtual format)
- All meetings closed to the public under 5 U.S.C. §§ 552b(c)(4) and 552b(c)(6) due to confidential grant content
- Panels cover: neurosciences/bioengineering, genetics, drug discovery, community health, addiction, tuberculosis (TBRUs), U54 center grants, Native American health, tobacco regulatory science, and cognitive/motor rehabilitation
+ 3 more changes with Pro
Obligations
What this law requires
Conduct peer-review meetings of the ten specified study sections and special emphasis panels on the scheduled dates (April 27-28, 2026) at NIH Rockledge II facility in Bethesda, Maryland in virtual format
Close all ten peer-review meetings to the public in accordance with 5 U.S.C. §§ 552b(c)(4) and 552b(c)(6) based on confidential trade secrets, commercially sensitive material, patentable information, and personal information about grant applicants
Designate a Scientific Review Officer as primary contact for each of the ten study sections and special emphasis panels and make contact information publicly available
Limit meeting agendas to review and evaluation of grant applications only; do not use meetings to make regulatory changes, binding policy decisions, or funding allocations
Publish this notice of closed meetings consistent with Federal Advisory Committee Act section 1009 transparency requirements prior to the April 27-28, 2026 meeting dates