By Yvette Seger

In March 2013, the National Science Board (NSB) released a Request for Information (RFI) and hosted three town hall discussions of university administrators and researchers to collect feedback on sources of administrative burden associated with federally funded research and possible solutions. The resulting report and recommendations, Reducing Investigators’ Administrative Workload for Federally Funded Research, was released by the NSB last week.

To respond to this RFI, FASEB convened discussions among six subcommittees of its Science Policy Committee (SPC) and developed and distributed a survey to gathered input on the RFI from the broader research community. Feedback from over 1,300 individuals was used to enrich the SPC’s response and is reflected in the four overarching recommendations of the final NSB report: (1) focus on the science; (2) eliminate or modify ineffective regulations; (3) harmonize and streamline requirements; and (4) increase university efficiency and effectiveness.

Administrative burden is frequently identified by scientists as a barrier to the efficient conduct of research. FASEB will continue to work with the NSB and federal agencies as they seek ways to implement these recommendations.