No. SB 1060
Filed under Healthcare.
Neurofibromatosis Research Grants; Creating the Neurofibromatosis Disease Grant Program within the Department of Health; providing the purpose of the program; allowing certain grant proposals to receive preference in the awarding of grants; requiring the department to award grants after consulting with the Rare Disease Advisory Council; prohibiting members of the council or peer review panels from participating in discussions or decisions if there are certain conflicts of interest, etc.
Plain English Summary
AI-GENERATEDThe Department of Health gets a new Neurofibromatosis Disease Grant Program to fund research toward new diagnostics, treatments, and cures, awarding grants through a competitive, peer-reviewed process once the Legislature appropriates $5 million a year.
Any Florida university or established research institute can apply, and every qualified in-state investigator gets equal access to compete, regardless of which institution they work for.
Independent peer review panels score each proposal's scientific merit, and the Department of Health awards grants after consulting the Rare Disease Advisory Council, with proposals that foster collaboration eligible for preference.
Council and panel members must recuse themselves from any proposal tied to an organization where they serve as a governing-body member, employee, or contractor, and unspent grant money already committed by contract can carry over for up to five years.
AIEstablishes a new program whose purpose is to fund scientific and clinical research toward new diagnostics, treatments, and cures for neurofibromatosis, awarded through a competitive, peer-reviewed process.
AIThe program's duty to award grants for neurofibromatosis research is expressly conditioned on the Legislature appropriating $5 million annually; the bill itself does not make that appropriation.
AIA member of the council or a peer review panel is forbidden from taking part in any discussion or vote on a proposal connected to an organization they are tied to.
AIAny qualified investigator in Florida must be given equal access and opportunity to compete for the research funding, regardless of which university or institute employs them.
AIThe department must appoint panels of independent, scientifically qualified reviewers to evaluate each grant proposal's scientific merit and assign it a priority score before funding decisions are made.
AIOverriding the normal single-year reversion rule, money appropriated for the program that is under contract or committed to be spent by June 30 can remain available to the program for years afterward instead of returning to the treasury.