Scientific and Medical Research Funding Working Group

(a) Membership

The Scientific and Medical Research Funding Working Group shall have at least 23 members as follows:

(1) Seven ICOC members from the 10 disease advocacy group members described in paragraphs (3), (4), and (5) of subdivision (a) of Section 125290.20.

(2) At least 15 scientists nationally recognized in the field of stem cell research.

(3) The Chairperson of the ICOC.

(b) Functions

The Scientific and Medical Research Funding Working Group shall perform the following functions:

(1) Recommend to the ICOC interim and final criteria, standards, and requirements for considering funding applications and for awarding research grants and loans.

(2) Recommend to the ICOC standards for the scientific and medical oversight of awards.

(3) Recommend to the ICOC any modifications of the criteria, standards, and requirements described in paragraphs (1) and (2) above as needed.

(4) Review grant and loan applications based on the criteria, requirements, and standards adopted by the ICOC and make recommendations to the ICOC for the award of research, therapy development, and clinical trial grants and loans.

(5) Conduct peer group progress oversight reviews of grantees to ensure compliance with the terms of the award, and report to the ICOC any recommendations for subsequent action.

(6) Recommend to the ICOC standards for the evaluation of grantees to ensure that they comply with all applicable requirements. Such standards shall mandate periodic reporting by grantees and shall authorize the Scientific and Medical Research Funding Working Group to audit a grantee and forward any recommendations for action to the ICOC.

(7) Recommend its first grant awards within 60 days of the issuance of the interim standards.

(c) Recommendations for Awards

Award recommendations shall be based upon a competitive evaluation as follows:

A peer review panel shall consist of both scientists and patient advocates. There shall be 15 scientists on a peer review panel. Only the scientist members of the Scientific and Medical Research Funding Working Group shall score grant and loan award applications for scientific merit. Such scoring shall be based on scientific merit in three separate classifications—research, therapy development, and clinical trials, on criteria including the following:

(1) A demonstrated record of achievement in the areas of pluripotent stem cell and progenitor cell biology and medicine, unless the research is determined to be a vital research opportunity.

(2) The quality of the research proposal, the potential for achieving significant research, or clinical results, the timetable for realizing such significant results, the importance of the research objectives, and the innovativeness of the proposed research.

(3) In order to ensure that institute funding does not duplicate or supplant existing funding, a high priority shall be placed on funding pluripotent stem cell and progenitor cell research that cannot, or is unlikely to, receive timely or sufficient federal funding, unencumbered by limitations that would impede the research. In this regard, other research categories funded by the National Institutes of Health shall not be funded by the institute.

(4) Notwithstanding paragraph (3), other scientific and medical research and technologies and/or any stem cell research proposal not actually funded by the institute under paragraph (3) may be funded by the institute if at least two-thirds of a quorum of the members of the Scientific and Medical Research Funding Working Group recommend to the ICOC that such a research proposal is a vital research opportunity.

(Amended by Stats. 2010, Ch. 637, Sec. 6. (SB 1064) Effective January 1, 2011. Note: This section was added on Nov. 2, 2004, by initiative Prop. 71.)