NIH closes sexual harassment loopholes in guidelines governing its grantees

May / June 2020 | Volume 19, Number 3

NIH has announced new guidance for grantees that addresses reported gaps in its policies against sexual harassment. NIH grant recipients will now be expected to promptly inform the agency of changes in investigators or movement of a grant to a new recipient institution, specifying if the changes are related to harassment, bullying, retaliation or hostile working conditions. This includes situations where a senior researcher is removed from a grant during investigation of a serious allegation.

“The reason is clear - NIH does not tolerate sexual harassment. Period,” according to a blog post from the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) that explained the changes. The new guidance builds on previous steps NIH has taken to strengthen reporting of sexual harassment and other misconduct, and is intended to prevent instances of “passing the harasser,” in which a scientist who changes institutions could evade the consequences of sexual harassment findings.

More Information

• NIH Guide Notice: Guidance Regarding Change in Status, Including Absence of PD/PI and Other Key Personnel Named in the Notice of Award (NOT-OD-20-124), released June 11, 2020
• New steps to help ensure safe work environments for NIH-supported research
  NIH Office of Extramural Research blog post, June 11, 2020
• Editorial: Combating sexual harassment, authored by NIH leadership
  Science, June 11, 2020
• NIH Advisory Committee to the Director Working Group on Changing the Culture to End Sexual Harassment
• NIH Report: Changing the Culture to End Sexual Harassment [PDF, 1M], December 2019
• Anti-Sexual Harassment for NIH Awardee Organizations and Those Who Work There
  NIH Office of Extramural Research

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