The mission of NIMH is to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illness through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery, and cure. In order for NIMH clinical research to meet it is objectives (including sufficient power to test hypotheses and generalizability to the appropriate target population) it is critical that studies meet their recruitment goals. NIMH developed the Recruitment Milestone Reporting (RMR) System to ensure NIMH investigators develop realistic recruitment targets and that these targets are met throughout the course of the clinical research. The RMR system monitors the recruitment of participants in NIMH-sponsored clinical research studies that plan to enroll 150 or more human subjects in a single study. Clinical studies can have difficulty recruiting, and accurate and timely reporting is the best way to ensure recruitment goals are met within the expected timeframe. Investigators develop a recruitment plan that includes tri-yearly milestones for recruitment of the total study population, and for recruitment of racial and ethnic minority participants. Once recruitment is scheduled to begin, investigators report actual progress on recruitment milestones three times per year, by April 1, August 1, and December 1. The primary use of this information is to ensure that realistic recruitment targets are established from the onset of a project, and that these targets are met throughout the course of the research. NIMH program staff will use the information collected by the Recruitment Milestone Reporting application to evaluate the feasibility of the recruitment targets and timeline, the appropriateness of the distribution of subjects to the research question, and the acceptability of actual recruitment progress.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.