COMMITTEE ON MEDICAL RESEARCH IO3 



be discussed in the succeeding paragraphs together with some problems of 

 personnel which were incident to them. 



Proposals for Contract. A form, known as a "proposal for contract," was 

 prepared in which the investigator was required: (i) to describe the sub- 

 ject of investigation with its background, present state of knowledge, sig- 

 nificance in national defense and plan of attack; (2) to list its personnel, 

 materials and financial requirements; (3) to state the investigative facili- 

 ties available for the research; (4) to estimate its duration. The proposals 

 were submitted by individuals, the so-called "responsible investigators," 

 from universities, hospitals, foundations. Federal agencies and commercial 

 firms throughout the country. They were directed either to CMR or NRC 

 but, in either event, were usually considered by the appropriate NRC sub- 

 committees and parent committees before being presented to CMR. 



Nine hundred fifty-one proposals for contract were examined by the 

 NRC committees of which 638 were recommended to CMR with varying 

 degrees of enthusiasm indicated by the grading "A," "B," or "C," and 313 

 were disapproved. At first, rejection of a proposal was made final by NRC; 

 later, as the incorrectness of this procedure was realized, responsibility for 

 the rejection was assumed by CMR which uniformly upheld decisions of 

 the NRC committees in this regard. CMR devoted a major share of the 

 time at its meetings to scrutinizing the proposals which were recommended 

 to it; regarding them from the point of view of their possible mediate or 

 immediate effect in winning the war, their consistency with the program 

 already in effect or projected, their personnel and budgets. It approved 501 

 of the 638 proposals recommended to it by the NRC; a majority of those 

 which it declined had received "B" or "C" ratings by the NRC committees. 

 In addition 92 proposals for contract were approved by CMR without prior 

 consideration by NRC committees. 



Once a proposal was approved by CMR it was formally recommended 

 to the Director of OSRD as a subject for contract with the institution at 

 which the work was to be carried on. With four exceptions, which he dis- 

 approved, these recommendations were adopted. 



Terms of Contracts. The contracts were usually drawn for six or twelve 

 months subject to the usual OSRD termination clause. The contractor 

 agreed to conduct investigations in the field which the contract defined, 

 to furnish such progress and interim reports as CMR requested and to 

 prepare a final report upon completion of the work. Initially, a progress 

 report was required every month; after August 1942 the requirement 

 became bimonthly. The contracts were in the usual OSRD form, the 

 terms of which are discussed in detail in Chapter XIII. At the termination 

 of a contract, its renewal was considered by CMR aided, usually, by advice 

 of the NRC committee which had originally recommended it. The prog- 

 ress and prospects of the research, the changing demands and resources 



