Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

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NIEHS Guidelines for the External Advisory Committee

Research Strategy

Within the Research Strategy, the application should describe how the Administrative Core will take a leadership role in ensuring the synthesis of findings and activities from research projects and core towards solving the central problem proposed by the Center. In addition, direct lines of communication between the Administrative Core and Research Translation Core (as well as with other cores, as appropriate) should be delineated, as all of these Cores serve critical roles for Center integration. 

The Administrative Core’s “Research Strategy” should demonstrate how the core will achieve its administrative functions, as described below. The applicant should include a description of the lines of communication among the Center project and core leaders, and a description of the mechanisms to be used to encourage and ensure the integration and interaction between the biomedical and environmental science projects within the Center. The plan should also describe their strategy for coordinating research activities and research translation activities; the integration of cross-disciplinary research; the oversight of fiscal and resource management; and quality management. This section should indicate who will be responsible for each of these activities and should describe the role(s) of advisory groups and consultants. 

To aid the Center Director in achieving the goals set forth for his or her Center, the Administrative Core is required to establish an External Advisory Committee (EAC) to provide guidance to the Center Director in the following areas: 

  • The scientific merit of the research.
  • The relevance and importance of the individual components to the goals of the Center is the integration of research across disciplines.
  • The effectiveness of research translation activities in linking projects and stakeholders. 
  • The appropriateness of community engagement and training activities. 

The composition of the External Advisory Committee will reflect the goals of the Center and will include appropriate scientific expertise and appropriate stakeholders, which will include, for  example, representatives from the EPA, ATSDR, industry, and/or community organizations, as examples. New applications should not list names of anticipated EAC members. 

External Advisory Committee

  • Is there an appropriate plan to establish and use an External Advisory Committee?
  • Do the members of the committee have the expertise required to evaluate all projects and cores and appropriately represent the applicant’s stakeholders including the US EPA and ATSDR (as applicable to renewal applicants)?
  • For new applications, are the appropriate expertise identified for the proposed External Advisory Committee?