Regulatory Burden

Federally-funded biomedical research is governed by many rules to ensure that it is transparent, safe, and ethical, while also holding accountable researchers and research institutions.  However, rules and regulations can be duplicative and overly-burdensome, resulting in lost productivity. AAI responds to concerns regarding regulatory burden by providing recommendations to assist the federal government in striking the right balance.

A 2007 report by the Federal Demonstration Partnership found that faculty funded by federal research grants spent 42% of their time on administrative tasks.  This is a problem that AAI highlighted in its May 2015 comments to NIH.  In those same comments, AAI recommended that NIH consider ways to reduce the administrative burden placed on investigators. 

In recent years, several different bodies have examined ways in which regulatory burden can be reduced.  In response to a Congressional request, the National Academies recently issued a report entitled “Optimizing the Nation’s Investment in Academic Research: A New Regulatory Framework for the 21st Century.”  The report includes many detailed recommendations for the Administration, Congress, Federal agencies, and institutions to consider for reducing the burden, while maintaining strong and effective regulations.

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