washington

An inquiry into how the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) sets priorities for research spending will begin this week with a public meeting in Washington. The study, by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), was ordered by the US Congress in the law passed last year to fund the NIH in 1998.

The aim of the $338,000 study is to recommend improvements in research funding policies and to suggest any necessary congressional action.

At this week's meeting, NIH officials will explain to a committee from the IOM how they divide the funds in their $13.65 billion budget. They will also describe how they listen and respond to public opinion — which is voluble, with the constituencies for different disease groups arguing for more funds.

Officials will tell the committee how Congress affects the agency when it passes laws requiring NIH to spend money on research on specific ailments, from Parkinson's disease to diabetes.

The next meeting, on 3 April, will receive public comments on NIH's priority-setting. Comments can be posted electronically to the committee's Web site at http://www2.nas.edu/hsp/214e.html.