2013-00089. Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health; Notice of Meeting

Pursuant to section 10(a) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. App.), notice is hereby given of a meeting of the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee.

The meeting will be open to the public, with attendance limited to space available. Individuals who plan to attend and need special assistance, such as sign language interpretation or other reasonable accommodations, should notify the Contact Person listed below in advance of the meeting.

Name of Committee: Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee.

Date: January 24, 2013.

Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Agenda: The NIH Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (RAC) will discuss Biosafety measures for research with highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 strains that have the potential to be transmissible through respiratory droplets and related data management activities. Please check the meeting agenda at OBA Meetings Page (available at the following URL: http://oba.od.nih.gov/​rdna_​rac/​rac_​meetings.html) for more information.

Place: National Institutes of Health, Building 45, Lower Level, Conference Room C1-C2, 45 Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20892.

Contact Person: Chezelle George, Office of Biotechnology Activities, Office of Science Policy/OD, National Institutes of Health, 6705 Rockledge Drive, R oom 750, Bethesda, MD 20892, 301-496-9838, [e-mail].

Information is also available on the Institute's/Center's home page: http://oba.od.nih.gov/​rdna/​rdna.html,, where an agenda and any additional information for the meeting will be posted when available.

OMB's “Mandatory Information Requirements for Federal Assistance Program Announcements” (45 FR 39592, June 11, 1980) requires a statement concerning the official government programs contained in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. Normally NIH lists in its announcements the number and title of affected individual programs for the guidance of the public. Because the guidance in this notice covers virtually every NIH and Federal research program in which DNA recombinant molecule techniques could be used, it has been determined not to be cost effective or in the public interest to attempt to list these programs. Such a list would likely require several additional pages. In addition, NIH could not be certain that every Federal program would be included as many Federal agencies, as well as private organizations, both national and international, have elected to follow the NIH Guidelines. In lieu of the individual program listing, NIH invites readers to direct questions to the information address above about whether individual programs listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance are affected.

(Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Nos. 93.14, Intramural Research Training Award; 93.22, Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds; 93.232, Loan Repayment Program for Research Generally; 93.39, Academic Research Enhancement Award; 93.936, NIH Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Research Loan Repayment Program; 93.187, Undergraduate Scholarship Program for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds, National Institutes of Health, HHS)

In the interest of security, NIH has instituted stringent procedures for entrance onto the NIH campus. All visitor vehicles, including taxicabs, hotel, and airport shuttles will be inspected before being allowed on campus. Visitors will be asked to show one form of identification (for example, a government-issued photo ID, driver's license, or passport) and to state the purpose of their visit.

OBA will offer those members of the public viewing the meeting via webcast (see link on OBA Meetings Page) the opportunity to submit comments to be read during the scheduled public comment periods. Individuals wishing to submit comments should use the comment form, which will accommodate comments up to 1500 characters, and will be available on the OBA Meetings Page during the meeting. Please submit your comment prior to the start of the public comment period. Please limit your comment to a statement that can be read in one to two minutes. Please include your name and affiliation with your comment.

OBA will read comments into the record during the public comment periods that are specified on the agenda. Please note, while every effort is made to keep the meeting discussions to the times stated on the agenda, it is not unusual for the meeting to run ahead or behind schedule due to changes in the time needed to review a protocol. It is advisable to monitor the webcast to determine when public comments will be read. Comments submitted electronically will follow any comments by individuals attending the meeting in person. Comments will be read in the order received and your name and affiliation will be read with the comment. Please note OBA may not be able to read every comment received in the time allotted for public comment. Comments not read will become part of the public record.

Any interested person may file written comments with the committee by forwarding the statement to the Contact Person listed on this notice. The statement should include the name, address, telephone number and when applicable, the business or professional affiliation of the interested person.

Dated: January 3, 2012.

Carolyn A. Baum,

Program Analyst, Office of Federal Advisory Committee Policy.