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Open Recommendations (18 total)

National Institutes of Health: Assessing Efforts to Improve Animal Research Could Lead to Greater Human Health Benefits

GAO-25-107140
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
National Institutes of Health The Director of NIH should define short-term goals with measurable targets and time frames related to enhancing reproducibility and translatability in animal research that the agency conducts and supports. For example, some initial goals could include targets for the number of NIH-funded publications that report certain factors that affect reproducibility and translatability, such as randomization and appropriate sample sizes. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

National Institutes of Health: Assessing Efforts to Improve Animal Research Could Lead to Greater Human Health Benefits

GAO-25-107140
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
National Institutes of Health The Director of NIH should collect evidence needed to assess NIH's efforts to enhance reproducibility and translatability in animal research. This could include steps such as (1) analyzing attempts to reproduce NIH-funded studies or (2) collecting information from projects that attempt to reproduce significant lines of research. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Data Science: NIH Needs to Implement Key Workforce Planning Activities

GAO-23-105594
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8 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
National Institutes of Health The NIH Director should ensure that NIH reassesses its data science competency and staffing needs periodically. (Recommendation 3)
Open – Partially Addressed
As of August 2024, NIH had made progress implementing the recommendation. Specifically, it demonstrated that it had reassessed its data science competency needs, in May 2024, during a data science competency workshop. However, NIH has not assessed its data science staffing needs. NIH stated that the Office of Human Resources will conduct annual data calls for immediate and future data science staffing needs and the results will serve as the agency's staffing requirements or needs assessment. We will continue to monitor NIH's efforts to ensure it reassesses its data science competency and staffing needs periodically.
National Institutes of Health The NIH Director should ensure that NIH requires reporting to agency leadership on progress made in addressing data science competency and staffing gaps. (Recommendation 9)
Open
In August 2024, NIH said the Office of Human Resources will report to agency leadership progress in addressing competencies and staffing gaps by the end of each calendar year, starting in 2024. The report will follow an annual data science workforce planning strategy effort in the summer or fall of each year.
National Institutes of Health The NIH Director should ensure that NIH establishes a comprehensive data science workforce planning process that addresses the shortfalls noted in this report. (Recommendation 1)
Open – Partially Addressed
IIn August 2024, NIH described steps it had taken to set strategic direction, and conduct supply, demand, and gap analyses of its data science workforce. However, it has not fully documented a data science workforce planning process. To its credit, NIH has documented a process for identifying its data science staff. However, it has not documented a process for developing data science staffing requirements and reassessing competency and staffing needs regularly. It also has not documented a process for conducting an analysis of its workforce to determine its data science competency and staffing gaps. In addition, it has not documented a process for monitoring and periodically reporting to agency leadership on progress in addressing competency and staffing gaps. NIH stated that it will continue to monitor and evaluate its data science workforce planning efforts an on annual basis using analytics tools, data calls, and collaborative conversations with stakeholders. We will continue to monitor NIH's efforts to establish a comprehensive data science workforce planning process that addresses the shortfalls noted in our report.
National Institutes of Health The NIH Director should ensure that NIH implements strategies and plans to address identified gaps in data science competencies and staffing. (Recommendation 6)
Open – Partially Addressed
NIH reported actions it had taken as of August 2024 and others it was planning to take to enhance its data science workforce. For example, in July 2023, NIH released a new Hiring Paths, Recruitment, & Incentives Playbook for hiring managers and human resource liaisons. The playbook outlines the numerous hiring paths (i.e., legal authorities), recruitment strategies, and incentives available at NIH. In addition, the agency issued a new GS-1560 (i.e., data scientist) standard position description and job analysis that can be used by hiring managers and human resource liaisons. NIH also launched the use of the OPM Agency Talent Portal to hiring managers and human resource liaisons. According to NIH, the tool offers targeted recruitment services and provides the ability to find talented data science personnel and invite them to apply to vacant jobs. In addition, NIH stated that in late 2024, the Office of Human Resources will release a SharePoint site that will include data scientist position descriptions, competencies, and other items for use in future recruitment efforts. NIH's strategies and plans, however, are not linked to gaps in competencies and staffing because the agency has not identified these gaps. We will continue to monitor NIH's efforts to implement the recommendation.
National Institutes of Health The NIH Director should ensure that NIH analyzes its workforce to identify gaps in data science competencies and staffing. (Recommendation 4)
Open
As of August 2024, NIH had not demonstrated that it had analyzed its workforce to identify gaps in data science competencies and staffing. We will continue to monitor NIH's efforts to analyze its workforce to address the recommendation.
National Institutes of Health The NIH Director should ensure that NIH documents new time frames to complete the guidance its staff will need to assess data management and sharing plans, and ensure that the guidance is implemented. (Recommendation 10)
Open – Partially Addressed
When our draft report was at the agency for comment, NIH provided us guidance it had issued for staff to assess data management and sharing plans in February 2023. However, NIH officials stated that the supporting checklist with questions for program and grants management officials was being revised to provide additional clarity and would be reissued when finalized. As of August 2024, NIH had not provided evidence that it had revised and reissued the guidance. In addition, the agency had not provided time frames for doing so or evidence that the guidance had been implemented as we recommended. We will continue to monitor NIH's efforts to implement the recommendation.
National Institutes of Health The NIH Director should ensure that NIH develops staffing requirements for the data science workforce. (Recommendation 2)
Open
As of August 2024, NIH had not demonstrated that it had developed its data science staffing requirements. While NIH has established a process to identify and track its data science staff and provided a report on the number of data science-related position vacancies, it did not provide documentation of its data science staffing requirements. NIH stated that its Office of Human Resources will send out an annual reminder to the Human Resources Liaison community to ensure all agency personnel is updated in its enterprise system used to track agency personnel and conduct a data call for immediate and future staffing needs. According to NIH, the results of this data call are to serve as the agency's staffing requirements or needs assessment. We will continue to monitor NIH's efforts to determine its data science staffing needs.
National Institutes of Health The NIH Director should ensure that NIH develops and tracks metrics to monitor the agency's progress in addressing data science competency and staffing gaps. (Recommendation 7)
Open
As of August 2024, NIH had not demonstrated that it had developed metrics to monitor the agency's progress in implementing strategies and plans to address data science competency and staffing gaps. We will continue to monitor NIH's efforts to implement the recommendation.
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