The National Advisory General Medical Sciences (NAGMS) Council convened remotely for its 191st meeting at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 21, 2026.

Erica Brown, Ph.D., Acting Director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), presided as meeting chair. After an open session from 9:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., the closed session of May 2026 Council convened from 12:30 p.m. to 12:50 p.m.

Council Members Attending Remotely

Natalie G. Ahn, Ph.D.
Eric Alani, Ph.D.
Lesilee Rose, Ph.D.
Christopher W. Seymour, M.D., M.Sc.

Council roster (available from NIGMS)

Ex-Officio Member Attending Remotely

Ronald M. Przygodzki, M.D.
Director, Genomic Medicine
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Office of Research and Development
Washington, DC 20420

Ad Hoc Council Participants Attending Remotely

John P. Kirwan, Ph.D.
George A. Bray, Jr. Endowed Super Chair in Nutrition
Professor, Integrated Physiology and Molecular Medicine
Director, Louisiana Clinical and Translational Science Center, IDeA-CTR
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70808

Kelly Lucas, Ph.D.
Vice President for Research
The University of Southern Mississippi
Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001

Douglas B. Sawyer, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief Academic Officer
MaineHealth
MaineHealth Maine Medical Center
Portland, ME 04102

Early Career Investigator Ad Hoc Council Participants Attending Remotely

Catherine D. Eichhorn, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemistry
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Lincoln, NE 68588

Gary Mo, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Pharmacology and Regenerative Medicine
University of Illinois Chicago
Chicago, IL 60612

Members of the Public Attending Remotely

Not tracked because meeting was available via unrestricted NIH Videocast.

OPEN SESSION OF THE MEETING

I. Call to Order and Opening Remarks

Dr. Brown welcomed Council members and guests. Council members approved the minutes from the February 5, 2026.

II. Future Meeting Dates

Council confirmed the following dates for future meetings:

September 10, 2026 (virtual)
February 4, 2027 (virtual)
May 20, 2027 (in person)

III. Review of Confidentiality and Conflict of Interest Procedures

Dr. Brown explained policies and procedures regarding confidentiality and avoidance of conflict-of-interest situations to Council members.

IV. NIGMS Director’s Report (NIH Videocast @ 8:15)

Erica Brown Council Presentation Slides

Dr. Brown announced Councilor and NIGMS staff transitions.

Dr. Brown highlighted NIH-wide policy updates including:

• NOT-OD-26-032 – Effective May 25, 2026, Basic Experimental Studies Involving Humans (BESH) studies will no longer be classified as clinical trials under NIH policy. Applications must still comply with human subjects’ protections and the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy. BESH-specific NOFOs will be phased out, and applicants should use "Clinical Trial Not Allowed" or "Clinical Trial Optional" NOFOs.
• NOT-OD-26-064 – Continuous submission of late applications ends August 10, 2026, and an updated Late Application Submission Policy is effective for applications submitted on or after May 25, 2026.
• NOT-OD-26-069 – NIH will continue select peer review practices implemented following the 2025 lapse in appropriations through the October 2026 Advisory Council.
• NOT-OD-26-079 – NIH ended the Common Forms leniency period. Effective May 8, 2026, Common Forms are required for Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support.
• NOT-OD-26-046 – NIH revised required elements of Data Management and Sharing Plans to reduce burden and improve efficiency. This is effective for due dates on or after May 25, 2026.

Dr. Brown gave an update on NIGMS Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) including:

• The Maximizing Investigators' Research Award (MIRA) for Early Stage Investigators (ESI) has been reissued with no major content changes using the HHS SimplerNOFO format. An informational webinar is scheduled.
• NOT-GM-26-005 – The NIGMS Technology Development R21 NOFO was expired due to low responsiveness. NIGMS will develop a new strategy to support early-stage technology development.
• NOT-GM-26-002 – NIGMS now participates in the Parent F31 NOFO to continue support for predoctoral training. Applications are encouraged from IDeA-eligible states, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) and resource-limited institutions.
• NIH has introduced Highlighted Topics (HTs), a new mechanism for Institutes and Centers (ICs) to communicate emerging research priorities. NIGMS currently leads the HT on Advancing "Science of Science" Research to Understand and Strengthen the Biomedical Research Ecosystem and participates in HTs on Quantum Information Science & Technologies for Biomedical Applications and Enhancing Scientific Rigor, Transparency and Replicability.

Dr. Brown discussed Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 NIGMS funding trends. NIGMS competing Research Project Grant (RPG) applications increased in FY25 while the success rate declined, primarily due to the increase in applications against a relatively flat budget. MIRA remains the predominant RPG mechanism at NIGMS, with higher award rates than comparable R01s for both Established Investigators (EI) and Early Stage Investigators (ESI).

Both the R35 and R01 success rates declined in FY25. While the R35 rate remains healthy, the R01 decline is atypical for NIGMS and NIGMS plans to bring the two rates closer together in FY26.

NIGMS does not use a percentile cutoff for funding decisions, preserving flexibility in the award process.

V. DISCUSSION (NIH Videocast @ 30:30)

Council discussed Highlighted Topics, including mechanisms for community input, and the status of upcoming NOFO publications.

Councilors requested a breakdown of MIRA funding by EI versus ESI and raised questions about NIGMS funding considerations for applications in the Competitive Not Discussed category.

The NIGMS Division of Data Integration, Modeling, and Analytics (DIMA) noted post Council that approximately 40% of investigators with MIRAs are ESIs or New Investigators, with the remaining 60% split about evenly between EIs beginning their MIRA via R01 conversion, and those renewing their MIRAs.

VI. Organoids Research at NIGMS (NIH Videocast @ 36:21)

Shawn Gaillard, Ph.D.

Dr. Gaillard presented an overview of organoids research at NIGMS covering:

• Definition and benefits of organoids
• Examples of organoids research across the NIH
• NIGMS support of organoids research over the most recent 10 year period
• Key challenges in the organoids field and NIH's Standardized Organoid Modeling (SOM) Center

Council discussed the role of organoids in reducing reliance on animal models and the balance between basic science and translational research. NIGMS welcomes applications addressing challenges in this space.

VII. Resources to Support Institutional Research Capacity (NIH Videocast @ 57:00)

Erica Brown, Ph.D., Mercedes Rubio, Ph.D., Kenneth Gibbs, Ph.D., Jill Bradshaw

Dr. Brown provided context on NIGMS's commitment to building research capacity and the administrative barriers many resource-limited institutions face, including limited grant infrastructure, research administration capacity, and compliance bandwidth. Three complementary efforts were presented to address these barriers:

• Support for Research Excellence (SuRE) Resource Center
• Biomedical Research Environment & Sponsored Programs Administration Development Program (BRE-SPAD)
• Compliance Assistance and Research Administration Support (CARAS)

Dr. Mercedes Rubio provided an overview of the Support for Research Excellence (SuRE) program and focused specifically on the SuRE Resource Center activities. The SuRE Resource Center promotes and sustains research excellence at U.S. higher education institutions that receive limited NIH support by conducting outreach and assisting these organizations in building research capacity. Now in its fourth year, the SuRE Resource Center has been a sound investment, with the awardee meeting program goals for increasing research capacity.

Dr. Kenneth Gibbs presented the Biomedical Research Environment & Sponsored Programs Administration Development Program (BRE-SPAD), which supports Resource Limited Institutions to conduct biomedical research, enhance their research environments, and increase sponsored programs administration capacity. Dr. Gibbs outlined eligible organizations, the three funding areas BRE-SPAD supports, and examples of proposed activities. Six BRE-SPAD awards have been made to date.

Ms. Jill Bradshaw presented the Compliance Assistance and Research Administration Support (CARAS) service center, which helps NIGMS award recipients resolve common and complex post-award issues and provides training and educational resources. Current CARAS resources and materials in development were previewed. CARAS complements BRE-SPAD and the SuRE Resource Center and other NIGMS programs in research capacity building.

Council discussed the relationship between SuRE and the Institutional Development Award (IDeA) program, and the expertise required of reviewers for BRE-SPAD.

VIII. Concept Clearance: Biomedical Research Environment & Sponsored Programs Administration Development Program (BRE-SPAD) (NIH Videocast @ 1:33:00)

Erica Brown, Ph.D.

Dr. Brown provided a background about concept clearances and their purpose.

The Biomedical Research Environment & Sponsored Programs Administration Development Program (BRE-SPAD) supports resource limited institutions to develop and strengthen capacity to conduct rigorous and reproducible biomedical research.

Council voted to approve the concept for further development.

IX. Concept Clearance: Support for Research Excellence (SuRE) Resource Center (NIH Videocast @1:36:00)

Erica Brown, Ph.D.

The Support for Research Excellence (SuRE) Resource Center promotes and sustains research excellence at SuRE-eligible institutions by administering a competitive seed grant program, conducting outreach and training, collecting and reporting program data and hosting the biennial SuRE Program Conference.

Council voted to approve the concept for further development.

X. Concept Clearance: Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Clinical Research Resource Center (I-CRRC) (NIH Videocast @ 1:37:00)

Erica Brown, Ph.D.

The Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Clinical Research Resource Center (I-CRRC) addresses specific needs for increasing capacity to conduct clinical trials and complex observational studies in IDeA states.

Council voted to approve the concept for further development.

XI. Discussion

Councilors discussed organoids research and concerns among the community, evaluation of programs and their impact on science, additional information about I-CRRC and consideration of MIRA criterion scores.

CLOSED SESSION OF THE MEETING

This portion of the meeting was closed to the public in accordance with the determination that it was concerned with matters exempt from mandatory disclosure under sections 552b(c)(4) and 552b(c)(6), Title 5 U.S.C., and section 1009(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. §§ 1001-1014).

Members exited the meeting during the discussion and voting process on applications from their own institutions or other applications that presented a potential conflict of interest, real or apparent. Members signed a statement to this effect at the beginning of the meeting.

REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS

NIGMS considered 1,764 research and training applications requesting $914,850,581 in total costs. The Council recommended 1,764 applications with a total cost of $914,850,581.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 12:15 p.m. on May 21, 2026.

CERTIFICATION

I hereby certify that, to my knowledge, the foregoing minutes are accurate and complete.

Erica Brown, Ph.D.
Chair
National Advisory General
Medical Sciences Council

Ariel Zane, Ph.D.
Executive Secretary
National Advisory General
Medical Sciences Council