The NIH has wrapped up its year-long effort to reform the way it reviews grant applications, releasing today (June 6) a report that focuses on changes such as shortening and redesigning applications, making it easier for good reviewers to serve, and encouraging innovative and "transformative" projects.

For instance, the agency plans to create a new investigator-initiated Transformative R01 Award program worth at least $250 million, and invest at least $750 million in innovative awards, such as the Pioneer, EUREKA, and New Innovator Awards, for a total of $1 billion over five years.

Additional highlights of the changes include:

-Increasing flexibility for reviewers, and compensating them for their time and effort

-Focusing applications on impact, including five review criteria, and changing the rating system for applications

-Establish a minimum of early stage investigators and those new to the NIH to support, encourage the Transformative Research Pathway

During the last year, the NIH solicited feedback from the life science community about how it should change peer review, and received 2,000 responses, some in the form of a statement from an institution or professional organization, each representing thousands of researchers. In January, I sat down with Lawrence Tabak, director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research and co-chair of one of the NIH peer review working groups, to talk about the process. Click here to listen to the interview.

And check out the NIH's Web site for more information on how it's changing peer review.