Coalition of Scientists and AIDS Advocates Calls on Congress to Support Clinton AIDS Research Reform Proposals

ABSTRACT: AIDS Research Provisions in Kennedy NIH Bill, 8.1

Strengthening OAR. Title XVIII of S.1 revises and extends the authority of
the NIH Office of AIDS Research, originally established in the 1988 HOPE
legislation (P.L. 100-607). The new provisions are designed to enhance the
overall coordination, efficiency and productivity of the NIH AIDS research
program by empowering OAR to conduct ongoing program evaluation, develop a
long-range strategic plan for AIDS research, and link evaluation and
planning to consolidated budget authority. Because AIDS research is
conducted by 21 institutes, centers and divisions (ICDs) at NIH, and
because it demands an interdisciplinary response, the reforms do not
establish an NIH AIDS institute, but rather strengthen coordination of
existing efforts through OAR.
OAR Director. Under S.1, OAR would be provided with a full-time director,
who will be an outstanding scientist and administrator, who will be
appointed by the HHS Secretary, and who will report to the NIH Director.
Strategic Plan. OAR, in consultation with the OARAC, with the coordinating
groups, and with the institutes, will prepare a long-range strategic plan
for NIH AIDS research, which will be annually updated and will be linked
with the AIDS research budget. The strategic plan will identify critical
scientific questions, establish priorities, define resource needs, fill
gaps and streamline redundancies, target obstacles and set timelines to
achieve goals.
Coordinating Groups. OAR will staff and chair NIH AIDS coordinating groups,
which will conduct ongoing review of current efforts to identify gaps, fill
them with new initiatives, and to identify redundancies and streamline
them. The coordinating groups will be trans-institute and will cover
pathogenesis, epidemiology and natural history, drug development, vaccine
development, and behavioral and social sciences.
OAR Advisory Council. The director will be provided with a new advisory
council, the OAR Advisory Council (OARAC), replacing the current AIDS
Program Advisory Committee (APAC) with a more diverse array of extramural
biomedical and behavioral scientists and community representatives. OARAC
will provide advice on OAR's program evaluation, coordination, strategic
planning, and budget, and will provide the second level of peer review for
awards made directly by OAR from the discretionary fund (see below).
Budgetary Authority. OAR is authorized to receive directly from the
President and OMB all funds appropriated to NIH for AIDS research. The
annual OAR budget will be a Bypass Budget similar to that of the NCI since
1972, and will go directly to the President's desk. OAR will disburse AIDS
research funds to the ICDs in accordance with the strategic plan. Ongoing
funding commitments by ICDs will not be altered by OAR, which will
determine how new appropriations and funds rolled over from expiring awards
will be spent. -ICDs will continue to have autonomy over intramural
research, but they will coordinate these efforts through the OAR
coordinating groups.
Discretionary Fund. Up to 25% of newly appropriated AIDS research funds
will be available to the OAR as a discretionary fund to support 1)
emergency AIDS research programs; 2) programs to fill the gaps in current
research; and 3) conduct conferences or other activities deemed necessary
by the director. Under the discretionary fund, OAR will be given power to
authorize the hiring of necessary AIDS-related full time equivalent (FTE)

staff persons at NIH.