Notice2026-05694

Office of the Director, Notice of Charter Renewal

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Published
March 24, 2026

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Health and Human Services DepartmentNational Institutes of Health

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 56 (Tuesday, March 24, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 56 (Tuesday, March 24, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14031-14034]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-05694]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Office of the Director, Notice of Charter Renewal

    In accordance with Title 41 of the U.S. Code of Federal 
Regulations, Section 102-3.65(a), notice is hereby given that the 
charter for the National Cancer Institute Clinical Trials and 
Translational Research Advisory Committee (CTAC) is being renewed for 
an additional two-year period on April 14, 2026.
    It is determined that the CTAC is in the public interest in 
connection with the performance of duties imposed on the National 
Institutes of Health by law, and that these duties can best be 
performed through the advice and counsel of this group.
    The Public Interest Determination follows:

[[Page 14032]]

National Institutes of Health

National Cancer Institute Clinical Trials and Translational Research 
Advisory Committee (CTAC)

Public Interest Determination

    Pursuant to 41 CFR 102-3.60(a), to establish, renew, reestablish, 
or merge a discretionary (agency discretion) advisory committee, an 
agency must first consult with the General Services Administration's 
Committee Management Secretariat (the Secretariat) and, as part of the 
consultation, provide a written public interest determination approved 
by the head of the agency to the Secretariat with a copy to the Office 
of Management and Budget. In addition, pursuant to 41 CFR 102-3.35, an 
agency shall follow the same consultation process and document in 
writing the same determination of need before creating a subcommittee 
under a discretionary committee that is not made up entirely of members 
of a parent advisory committee.
    Information on the following factors for the committee is provided 
to the Secretariat to demonstrate that renewing the committee is in the 
public interest:
    1. Annual budget: The projected total committee cost for FY 2026 is 
$121,213.
    a. Federal personnel on a full-time equivalent (FTE) basis: The 
estimated annual person-years of staff support required is 0.4 FTE at 
an estimated annual cost of $83,355.
    b. Other Federal internal costs: The estimated annual cost of other 
Federal internal expenses is $4,727.
    c. Proposed payments to members: The estimated annual payments for 
19 non-Federal members are $4,600. The estimated prorated salary of two 
Federal members is $1,496.
    d. Proposed number of members: The committee will consist of up to 
25 non-Federal members, in addition to Federal ex officio members.
    e. Reimbursable costs: The estimated reimbursable costs, including 
members' travel expenses, are $27,035.
    2. If applicable, the total dollar value of grants expected to be 
recommended during the fiscal year: N/A.
    3. Criteria for selecting members to ensure the committee has the 
necessary expertise and fairly balanced membership:
    The Committee will consist of up to 25 non-Federal members 
appointed by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Director as well as 
Federal ex officio members. Non-Federal members must be eligible to 
serve as Special Government Employees (SGEs) and will serve as SGEs as 
defined by 18 U.S.C. Sec.  202.
    The Chair will be selected by the NCI Director from among the non-
Federal members. When necessary, up to four members may hold concurrent 
membership on the National Cancer Advisory Board and/or the NCI Board 
of Scientific Counselors.
    Members will be recognized authorities knowledgeable in fields 
including community oncology; surgical, medical, radiation, and 
pediatric oncology; patient advocacy; extramural clinical 
investigation; regulatory agencies; pharmaceutical industry; public 
health; clinical trial design, management, and evaluation; drug 
development and developmental therapeutics; cancer education; cancer 
information services; community outreach; vaccine development; cellular 
and molecular oncology; clinical, basic, and translational research; 
cancer center administration; cancer biology and diagnosis; cancer 
epidemiology; chemotherapy; oncology health care delivery; 
pharmacology; pathology; biostatistics; quality of life; health care 
outcomes; pain management; cancer treatment and restorative care; and 
education of health professionals.
    Non-Federal members, including the Chair, may serve overlapping 
five-year terms. Members serving concurrently on the National Cancer 
Advisory Board or the NCI Board of Scientific Counselors will serve no 
longer than the duration of their respective board terms. An appointed 
member may continue to serve after term expiration until a successor is 
appointed.
    Non-voting ex officio members may include officials from the Food 
and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 
(CMS), Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Veterans Affairs 
(VA), and other Federal officials as appointed by the NCI Director.
    4. List of all other Federal advisory committees of the agency:

<bullet> Advisory Committee on Research on Women's Health
<bullet> Advisory Committee to the Director, National Institutes of 
Health
<bullet> Advisory Council on Parkinson's Research, Care and Services
<bullet> Aging and Neurodegeneration Integrated Review Group
<bullet> AIDS Research Advisory Committee, NIAID
<bullet> Applied Immunology and Disease Control Integrated Review Group
<bullet> Applied Therapeutics for Cancer Integrated Review Group
<bullet> Biobehavioral and Behavioral Processes Integrated Review Group
<bullet> Bioengineering Sciences & Technologies Integrated Review Group
<bullet> Biological Chemistry and Macromolecular Biophysics Integrated 
Review Group
<bullet> Board of Regents of the National Library of Medicine
<bullet> Board of Scientific Counselors Eunice Kennedy Shriver National 
Institute of Child Health and Human Development
<bullet> Board of Scientific Counselors National Human Genome Research 
Institute
<bullet> Board of Scientific Counselors of the National Heart, Lung, 
and Blood Institute
<bullet> Board of Scientific Counselors of the NIH Clinical Center
<bullet> Board of Scientific Counselors, Division of Translational 
Toxicology
<bullet> Board of Scientific Counselors, National Cancer Institute
<bullet> Board of Scientific Counselors, National Center for 
Complementary and Integrative Health
<bullet> Board of Scientific Counselors, National Eye Institute
<bullet> Board of Scientific Counselors, National Institute of 
Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
<bullet> Board of Scientific Counselors, National Institute of 
Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
<bullet> Board of Scientific Counselors, National Institute of Dental 
and Craniofacial Research
<bullet> Board of Scientific Counselors, National Institute of Diabetes 
and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
<bullet> Board of Scientific Counselors, National Institute of 
Environmental Health Sciences
<bullet> Board of Scientific Counselors, National Institute of Mental 
Health
<bullet> Board of Scientific Counselors, National Institute of 
Neurological Disorders and Stroke
<bullet> Board of Scientific Counselors, National Institute on Aging
<bullet> Board of Scientific Counselors, National Institute on Alcohol 
Abuse and Alcoholism
<bullet> Board of Scientific Counselors, National Institute on Deafness 
and Other Communication Disorders
<bullet> Board of Scientific Counselors, National Institute on Drug 
Abuse
<bullet> Board of Scientific Counselors, National Institute on Minority 
Health and Health Disparities and National Institute of Nursing 
Research
<bullet> Board of Scientific Counselors, National Library of Medicine
<bullet> Brain Disorders and Clinical Neuroscience Integrated Review 
Group
<bullet> Cardiovascular and Respiratory Sciences Integrated Review 
Group
<bullet> Cell Biology Integrated Review Group
<bullet> Center for Scientific Review Special Emphasis Panel

[[Page 14033]]

<bullet> Council of Councils
<bullet> Cures Acceleration Network Review Board
<bullet> Digestive, Kidney and Urological Systems Integrated Review 
Group
<bullet> Division of Intramural Research Board of Scientific Counselors 
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
<bullet> Emerging Technologies and Training Neurosciences Integrated 
Review Group
<bullet> Endocrinology, Metabolism, Nutrition and Reproductive Sciences 
Integrated Review Group
<bullet> Fogarty International Center Advisory Board
<bullet> Genes, Genomes, and Genetics Integrated Review Group
<bullet> Healthcare Delivery and Methodologies Integrated Review Group
<bullet> Infectious Diseases and Immunology A Integrated Review Group
<bullet> Infectious Diseases and Immunology B Integrated Review Group
<bullet> Integrative, Functional and Cognitive Neuroscience Integrated 
Review Group
<bullet> Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee
<bullet> Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee
<bullet> Interdisciplinary Molecular Sciences and Training Integrated 
Review Group
<bullet> Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Neuroscience Integrated 
Review Group
<bullet> Muscular Dystrophy Coordinating Committee
<bullet> Musculoskeletal, Oral, and Skin Sciences Integrated Review 
Group
<bullet> National Advisory Allergy and Infectious Diseases Council
<bullet> National Advisory Board on Medical Rehabilitation Research
<bullet> National Advisory Child Health and Human Development Council
<bullet> National Advisory Council for Biomedical Imaging and 
Bioengineering
<bullet> National Advisory Council for Complementary and Integrative 
Health
<bullet> National Advisory Council for Human Genome Research
<bullet> National Advisory Council for Nursing Research
<bullet> National Advisory Council on Aging
<bullet> National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
<bullet> National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse
<bullet> National Advisory Council on Minority Health and Health 
Disparities
<bullet> National Advisory Dental and Craniofacial Research Council
<bullet> National Advisory Environmental Health Sciences Council
<bullet> National Advisory Eye Council
<bullet> National Advisory General Medical Sciences Council
<bullet> National Advisory Mental Health Council
<bullet> National Advisory Neurological Disorders and Stroke Council
<bullet> National Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases 
Advisory Council
<bullet> National Cancer Advisory Board
<bullet> National Cancer Institute Clinical Trials and Translational 
Research Advisory Committee
<bullet> National Cancer Institute Council of Research Advocates
<bullet> National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences Advisory 
Council
<bullet> National Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Advisory 
Council
<bullet> National Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Advisory 
Council
<bullet> National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council
<bullet> National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity
<bullet> National Toxicology Program Board of Scientific Counselors
<bullet> National Toxicology Program Special Emphasis Panel
<bullet> NIH Clinical Center Research Hospital Board
<bullet> Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council
<bullet> Office of Research Infrastructure Programs Special Emphasis 
Panel
<bullet> Oncology 1-Basic Translational Integrated Review Group
<bullet> Oncology 2-Translational Clinical Integrated Review Group
<bullet> Population Sciences and Epidemiology Integrated Review Group
<bullet> President's Cancer Panel
<bullet> Risk, Prevention and Health Behavior Integrated Review Group
<bullet> Scientific Advisory Committee on Alternative Toxicological 
Methods
<bullet> Scientific and Technical Review Board on Biomedical and 
Behavioral Research Facilities
<bullet> Scientific Management Review Board
<bullet> Sickle Cell Disease Advisory Committee
<bullet> Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board
<bullet> Social and Community Influences on Health Integrated Review 
Group
<bullet> Surgical Sciences, Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering 
Integrated Review Group
<bullet> Vaccine Research Center Board of Scientific Counselors 
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
<bullet> Vascular and Hematology Integrated Review Group

    5. Justification that the information or advice provided by the 
Federal advisory committee or subcommittee is not available from 
another Federal advisory committee, another Federal Government source, 
or any other more cost-effective and less burdensome source.
    CTAC is essential to the conduct of NCI and NIH agency business 
because it provides independent, expert scientific and programmatic 
advice to the NCI Director on the conduct, oversight, and 
implementation of the clinical trials and translational research 
enterprise, which is one of NCI's largest and most complex investment 
of public funds. It is the only programmatic cancer-related advisory 
committee whose sole focus is clinical trials and translational 
research. CTAC was formed pursuant to a 2005 recommendation from the 
National Cancer Advisory Board for NCI to establish a committee 
dedicated to clinical trials, given NCI's large investment in this area 
of research. Other NCI boards and committees do not have the expertise 
needed to provide in-depth, enterprise-wide advice to ensure 
accountability and optimal use of taxpayer dollars for NCI's clinical 
trials networks and associated infrastructure.
    CTAC integrates key stakeholders to provide advice that will foster 
a collaborative, efficient, and innovative system that enables the 
timely translation of discoveries into benefits for cancer patients. No 
other Federal advisory committee has the same sole focus on NCI's 
clinical trials and translational research enterprise or provides 
coordinated, external advice in this area.
    CTAC's current work strengthens the clinical trials enterprise by 
providing advice to help advance streamlined data collection, real-
world data integration, and pragmatic trial design, supporting NIH 
priorities to reduce burden, improve efficiency, and accelerate 
innovative cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment 
approaches. CTAC serves the public interest by providing a transparent, 
independent forum through which advice is provided to the NCI Director, 
and visibility into NIH's cancer research activities is ensured. 
Meetings are open to the public, and membership includes a broad range 
of experts, including patient advocates.
    6. If the consultation is a committee renewal, a summary of the 
previous accomplishments of the committee and the reasons it needs to 
continue
    Since its inception, CTAC has played a central role in modernizing 
and improving the efficiency of NCI's federally funded clinical trials 
system.

[[Page 14034]]

The committee has provided invaluable advice on the restructuring of 
NCI's clinical trials networks, establishing timelines for initiating 
trials, harmonizing guidelines across programs, and evaluating clinical 
trials portfolios to enhance NCI's already-productive clinical trials 
program.
    As the conduct of clinical trials has continued to evolve, CTAC has 
helped NCI to address emerging challenges through a continuous 
improvement approach and made important recommendations to NCI. CTAC 
recommendations have focused on operational efficiency, trial cost and 
complexity, prevention and symptom management, and health-related 
quality of life across the portfolio, while also reviewing NCI's 
clinical and translational research portfolios to identify gaps in 
recalcitrant cancers such as pancreatic, lung, gastric, and 
glioblastoma cancers. CTAC's recommendations have also informed 
scientific frameworks, strengthened programs in cancer screening, 
radiation oncology, quantitative imaging, and clinical trials 
informatics, and revolutionized government-sponsored clinical trials, 
enabling faster and more efficient delivery of outcomes to the American 
public.
    CTAC's impact extends beyond NCI by advancing collaboration and 
improving clinical research practices across NIH and other federal 
agencies. The scientific framework CTAC recommended for pancreatic 
cancer led to cross-NIH collaborations, particularly for the early 
diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and understanding the role of diabetes 
in cancer etiology. NIH adopted principles of efficiency and 
centralized trial operations advanced by CTAC to strengthen clinical 
trial conduct. CTAC's advice also helped NCI to establish the NCI-VA 
Interagency Group to Accelerate Trials Enrollment (NAVIGATE), which 
contributed approximately 400 enrollments to NCI trials in 2025 and 
expanded Veterans' access to cancer clinical trials.
    If CTAC were discontinued, key stakeholders in clinical trials and 
translational research would lose a voice in providing input on NCI's 
scientific programs and initiatives, creating a void in NIH's ability 
to better serve the public and achieve the administration's goal of 
understanding and lowering chronic disease rates across the cancer 
control spectrum, including prevention, early detection, and treatment.
    7. Explanation of why the committee/subcommittee is essential to 
the conduct of agency business
    CTAC is essential to the conduct of NCI and NIH agency business 
because it provides independent and expert advice that directly informs 
how NCI manages its clinical trials and translational research 
enterprise, an area that represents one of NCI's largest and most 
complex investments of public funds. CTAC provides advice to the NCI 
Director on the conduct, oversight, and implementation of clinical 
trials and translational research across the Institute by providing 
broad scientific and programmatic advice on the investment of taxpayer 
dollars.
    CTAC supports NCI's statutory mission and aligns with the current 
administration's priorities by supporting a strong and efficient cancer 
clinical trials research enterprise. Through independent, expert advice 
on NCI-supported clinical trials and translational research across the 
cancer control continuum, CTAC advances efforts to reduce the burden of 
chronic disease, enhances transparency and stewardship of NIH's cancer 
research investments, and promotes research aimed at lowering cancer 
rates and improving population health.
    In conclusion, this public interest determination documents that 
renewing the committee is in the public interest, essential to the 
conduct of agency business, and that the information to be obtained is 
not already available through another advisory committee or source 
within the Federal Government.
    Inquiries may be directed to Patricia Brandt Hansberger, Acting 
Director, Office of Federal Advisory Committee Policy, Office of the 
Director, National Institutes of Health, 6701 Democracy Boulevard, 
Suite 1000, Bethesda, Maryland 20892 (Mail code 4875), Telephone (301) 
496-2123, or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5d2d3c292f343e343c73353c332e3f382f3a382f1d333435733a322b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="05756471776c666c642b6d646b76676077626077456b6c6d2b626a73">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.

    Dated: March 20, 2026.
David W. Freeman,
Supervisory Program Analyst, Office of Federal Advisory Committee 
Policy.
[FR Doc. 2026-05694 Filed 3-23-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P


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