Recap of June’s Advisory Council Meeting

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"Good morning and welcome to the open session of the 198th meeting of the Council of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases."

So began NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci at the open session of the June 7, 2021 Advisory Council meeting. His Director’s Remarks covered the usual agenda topics, some of which we highlight in this article. We also summarize a presentation from guest speaker Dr. John Mascola, director of the Vaccine Research Center (VRC).

For the entire open session, go to NIAID Advisory Council Meeting—June 2021.

Staff Appointments

The following staff members were appointed to new positions.

  • Dr. James Cummins was selected as the chief of the Preclinical Microbicide and Prevention Research Branch in DAIDS.
  • Dr. Kimberly Taylor has been named senior scientific officer of the Concept Acceleration Program for Vaccines in the DMID Office of Biodefense, Research Resources, and Translational Research.
  • Dr. Jennifer Anderson has been selected as VRC's associate director for management and operations.
  • Ms. Callie Prassinos has been selected as the new chief for AIDS Research Contracts Branch in the Office of Acquisitions in the Division of Extramural Activities. 

Meetings and Events

Dr. Fauci met virtually with several international delegations, including England’s chief medical officer, the United Kingdom Government’s chief scientific advisor, and the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

He also participated in virtual meetings with the WHO Regional Director for Europe to discuss various COVID-19 issues.

Budget News

In comparing the fiscal year (FY) 2021 enacted budget with that of the FY 2020 final budget, Dr. Fauci noted that the overall increase for NIH is 3.0 percent. Many institutes and centers received increases of 1 to 3 percent over the FY 2020 final budget with significant exceptions such as the National Institute on Aging.

NIAID received an increase of 3.2 percent that includes:

  • $20 million for developing universal influenza vaccines
  • $10 million toward Lyme and other tick-borne diseases
  • $10 million for the NIH Centers for AIDS Research to support the “Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S.” initiative
  • $40 million to be evenly divided among the 12 Regional Biocontainment Labs that NIAID initially funded in FY 2003 to continue efforts to prevent, prepare for, and respond to infectious disease outbreaks

Dr. Fauci pointed out that this is the sixth consecutive year the Institute has received a significant budget increase and relayed that for FY 2022, President Biden has proposed an overall increase for NIH of 21 percent, or $9.0 billion above the FY 2021 enacted level.

He also announced our R01 NIAID Paylines for FY 2021, summarized our Financial Management Plan, and shared an estimate that FY 2021 success rates for NIAID research project grants are likely to range between 21 to 23 percent.   

He concluded the budget segment with an update on the funding provided to NIAID to respond to COVID-19 as well as how the Institute allocated the funds.

Legislative and Outreach Activities

Dr. Fauci accompanied NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins to testify at a virtual hearing of the House Appropriations Labor-HHS Subcommittee on the President’s FY 2022 NIH Budget as well as a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Labor-HHS Subcommittee on the FY 2022 NIH budget.

Other interactions included engaging with members of the Senate and House of Representatives to brief them on the COVID-19 pandemic and hosting a tour of the VRC for several senators.

Guest Presentation on VRC Activities

In reviewing some of VRC’s activities over the last year, Dr. Mascola covered the Center’s work on mRNA and therapeutic antibodies related to COVID-19 as well as on influenza vaccines.

Looking at the new or re-emerging viruses affecting people and causing major outbreaks from 1976 to 2019, Dr. Mascola pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic was caused by a viral family for which we already had detailed knowledge that would facilitate the development of new vaccines.

He also highlighted VRC’s emphasis on structure-based vaccine design, the rapid clinical development of the Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine, and VRC’s COVID-19 vaccine team and contributions to Operation Warp Speed.

If you would like to view Dr. Mascola’s presentation, it begins at approximately the 42-minute mark of the NIAID Advisory Council Meeting—June 2021 videocast.         

Subcommittee Summaries

At each Council session, scientific subcommittees review and approve concepts for NIAID initiatives: targeted research funding opportunities. While not all approved concepts become funding opportunities later, concepts highlight NIAID research interests and can be good topics for investigator-initiated applications.

NIAID scientific staff present our June concepts, and subcommittees discuss them in the following videocast recordings.

For a list of other approved concepts, see Concepts—Potential Opportunities. To receive an email when we post new concepts, sign up at NIAID Email Alerts Subscription Center.

Save the Date

To catch the next NIAID Advisory Council meeting on September 13, 2021, watch the live video stream of the open session at NIH VideoCasting or find the archived video afterward.

Contact Us

Email us at deaweb@niaid.nih.gov for help navigating NIAID’s grant and contract policies and procedures.

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