Government Briefs

Even before it finishes up new rules on misconduct, NIH is already looking ahead to the next set of possible guidelines for grantees. These rules would cover standards of conduct to avoid real or imagined conflicts of interest by scientists who get government grants. The complex topic, believed by many observers to be a more serious problem than fraud itself, has already drawn congressional attention in light of federal pressure to strengthen ties between academic scientists and industry, and NIH issued a general statement on the subject in January. But NIH officials want to learn more, and have scheduled a two-day open meeting this week on the Bethesda, Md., campus to explore various aspects of the subject.

If it seems as though the program officers you deal with at NSF are not afraid to speak their minds, it's no accident. Director Erich Bloch wants...