‘‘(f) ANNUAL REVIEW OF TIMELINESS.—The Sec-
retary shall track the performance of the Department’s 
research approval processes and include in the annual re-
port under section 7388 of this title an analysis of the 
timeliness of research proposal reviews, identifying any 
systemic bottlenecks and steps taken to improve the effi-
ciency of research approvals. 
‘‘§ 7385. Implementation of high-impact research find-
ings 
‘‘(a) FUNDING ALLOCATION REQUIREMENT.—Of the 
amounts appropriated or otherwise made available to the 
Department each fiscal year for the medical and prosthetic 
research program authorized under section 7303 of this 
title, the Secretary shall ensure that funds are allocated 
for activities to implement the findings of such research 
program to improve the delivery of care and services to 
veterans. 
‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS; ‘HIGH-IMPACT RESEARCH’.— 
(1) In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary, acting 
through the Chief Research and Development Officer of 
the Office of Research and Development under section 
7381 of this title, shall identify completed or ongoing re-
search projects that have produced, or are likely to 
produce, evidence or innovations with high potential to im-
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prove veteran health care or quality of life (in this section 
referred to as ‘high-impact research’). 
‘‘(2) The Secretary shall utilize funds allocated pur-
suant to subsection (a) to accelerate the transfer of such 
high-impact research findings into clinical practice, sys-
tems of care, or programmatic improvements. 
‘‘(3) Activities funded with such amounts may in-
clude— 
‘‘(A) implementation and dissemination studies; 
‘‘(B) the development or updating of clinical 
practice guidelines; 
‘‘(C) training of health care providers in new 
evidence-based practices; 
‘‘(D) modification of health information tech-
nology or equipment to accommodate new treat-
ments or diagnostic; 
‘‘(E) patient outreach and education regarding 
new standards of care; and 
‘‘(F) other actions necessary to integrate re-
search discoveries into routine veterans care. 
‘‘(c) COORDINATION AND AVOIDANCE OF DUPLICA-
TION.—(1) The Secretary shall ensure that the allocation 
and use of funds for implementation activities under this 
section are coordinated with other Department initiatives 
in implementation science and quality improvement, in-
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cluding the Quality Enhancement Research Initiative and 
other translational research programs within the Depart-
ment to leverage existing expertise and avoid duplicative 
efforts. 
‘‘(2) The Office of Research and Development shall 
consult regularly with Veterans Health Administration 
program offices responsible for clinical operations to iden-
tify priority areas where research findings are ready to 
be adopted on a wider scale within the Department. 
‘‘(d) ACCOUNTABILITY.—The Secretary shall include, 
in the annual report required by section 7388 of this 
title— 
‘‘(1) the amount of research funding devoted to 
implementation activities and the outcomes of such 
investments; and 
‘‘(2) an analysis of compliance with the funding 
allocation in subsection (a) and a description of 
major implementation projects undertaken, the sta-
tus of such projects, and the effect of such projects 
on health care for veterans. 
‘‘§ 7386. Veteran impact forecast and translation plan 
for major research projects required 
‘‘(a) 
REQUIREMENT
FOR
MAJOR
RESEARCH 
PROJECTS.—The Secretary shall ensure that any major 
research project of the Department includes, as part of 
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the research protocol and application for funding sub-
mitted to the Secretary— 
‘‘(1) a veteran impact forecast described in sub-
section (b); and 
‘‘(2) a translation plan described in subsection 
(c). 
‘‘(b) VETERAN IMPACT FORECAST.—A veteran im-
pact forecast described in this subsection is a written as-
sessment, prepared by the investigators or sponsors of a 
major research project at the time of proposal, that de-
scribes the anticipated benefits and outcomes of the re-
search for veterans and the health care system of the De-
partment. The veteran impact forecast shall, to the max-
imum extent practicable, quantify or describe the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(1) How the findings or results of successful 
research is successful are expected to improve health 
outcomes among veterans, including— 
‘‘(A) reductions in morbidity or mortality; 
‘‘(B) improvements to functional status; 
and 
‘‘(C) enhancements to the quality of life 
for veterans from the condition or conditions 
subject to the research. 
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‘‘(2) The ways in which the research results 
could— 
‘‘(A) be integrated into the clinical practice 
of the Veterans Health Administration; or 
‘‘(B) lead to changes in health care policy 
or programs for veterans (including adoption of 
new treatments, diagnostics, preventive meas-
ures, or care delivery models) and an estimate 
of the magnitude of the veteran population like-
ly to be affected by such changes. 
‘‘(3) An explanation of the urgency of the re-
search question for veterans and an estimate of the 
time frame within which positive findings could be 
implemented into clinical practice, given the nature 
of the study design and any necessary regulatory ap-
provals. 
‘‘(c) TRANSLATION PLAN.—A translation plan de-
scribed in this subsection is a proactive plan for how posi-
tive findings from the research will be disseminated and 
implemented in the Department to benefit veterans that 
includes the following: 
‘‘(1) An identification of steps and resources 
needed to move any successful outcomes of the re-
search into general Department use. 
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‘‘(2) A description of how and to whom the re-
search results will be communicated upon comple-
tion, including identification of the relevant entities 
that should be informed of such results, including— 
‘‘(A) program offices; 
‘‘(B) clinical practice leaders; 
‘‘(C) policymakers within the Department 
in a position to act on such results; 
‘‘(D) external partners (including academic 
affiliates); and 
‘‘(E) the heads of relevant Federal agen-
cies. 
‘‘(3) Specific actions to be taken if the study 
yields positive results, including— 
‘‘(A) the development or revision of clinical 
protocols and guidelines; 
‘‘(B) pursuing regulatory approvals for 
new therapies, if applicable; 
‘‘(C) training clinicians in new practices; 
‘‘(D) updating health information tech-
nology systems or decision support tools; or 
‘‘(E) initiating pilot programs to imple-
ment the findings in one or more medical cen-
ters of the Department. 
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‘‘(4) An identification of potential obstacles to 
implementation, including resource needs, training 
gaps, or interoperability issues. 
‘‘(5) A description of how the investigators or 
the Department might address such obstacles to fa-
cilitate timely translation of the research into prac-
tice. 
‘‘(6) As appropriate, to ensure that the trans-
lation of findings is feasible and sustainable within 
the Department, plans for engaging relevant stake-
holders in the implementation process, including— 
‘‘(A) the Under Secretary for Health; 
‘‘(B) veterans who would be affected by 
the change; 
‘‘(C) caregivers; or 
‘‘(D) external regulatory bodies. 
‘‘(d) INCORPORATION INTO APPROVAL AND FUND-
ING.—(1) The Secretary shall ensure that no major re-
search project is approved or funded by the Department 
unless the proposal includes a veteran impact forecast and 
translation plan meeting the requirements of this section. 
‘‘(2) The Office of Research and Development shall 
review the adequacy of the veteran impact forecast and 
translation plan during the scientific review or funding de-
cision process, and may provide feedback or require modi-
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fications as necessary to strengthen the likelihood that the 
research, if successful, can be readily applied to improve 
care for veterans. 
‘‘(e) GUIDANCE AND WAIVER.—(1) The Secretary, 
through the Office of Research and Development, shall 
issue guidance defining the classes of research projects 
subject to the requirements of this section and detailing 
the format and content expectations for veteran impact 
forecasts and translation plans. 
‘‘(2) The Secretary may exempt a particular project 
or class of projects from one or both of these requirements 
only if the Secretary determines that such project is of 
a nature for which these planning documents would not 
be practicable or meaningful. Any such exemption shall 
be documented in writing with a justification and sub-
mitted to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the 
House of Representatives and the Senate as part of the 
annual report under section 7388 of this title. 
‘‘(f) UPDATES AND POST-STUDY REVIEW.—(1) The 
Secretary shall establish a mechanism to revisit and up-
date the translation plan as necessary during the course 
of the research project and immediately following its com-
pletion, in light of the actual findings. Investigators con-
ducting a covered project shall, at the conclusion of the 
project, report on how the findings compare to the veteran 
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impact forecast and propose any adjustments to the ac-
tions in the translation plan. 
‘‘(2) The Office of Research and Development, in 
conjunction with relevant clinical operations officials, shall 
evaluate these post-study reports to determine what imple-
mentation steps will be taken by the Department and shall 
track the outcomes of major research projects in terms 
of uptake into clinical practice or policy. 
‘‘(g) MAJOR RESEARCH PROJECT DEFINED.—In this 
section, a ‘major research project’ means— 
‘‘(1) a research study or program, including a 
clinical trial or multisite study, that meets criteria 
indicating substantial size, scope, or significance, as 
shall be defined by the Secretary; and 
‘‘(2) includes— 
‘‘(A) research projects with projected De-
partment funding above a threshold amount set 
by the Secretary; and 
‘‘(B) any other research initiatives des-
ignated by the Office of Research and Develop-
ment as having high potential impact on vet-
erans health or health care systems. 
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‘‘§ 7387. Department of Veterans Affairs regional re-
search hubs 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—(1) The Secretary shall es-
tablish a system of regional research hubs of the Depart-
ment (in this section referred to as ‘research hubs’) within 
the Veterans Health Administration to support and co-
ordinate the research activities of the Department across 
multiple medical centers and clinics. The number and loca-
tions of such research hubs shall be determined by the 
Secretary to ensure that all medical facilities of the De-
partment with active research programs may access the 
services of a research hub. In establishing research hubs 
pursuant to this section, the Secretary may consider Vet-
eran Integrated Services Networks, or other appropriate 
regional groupings of facilities. 
‘‘(2) Each research hub shall be organizationally es-
tablished under the Office of Research and Development, 
and shall operate under the direction of a Regional Re-
search Hub Director appointed by the Under Secretary 
for Health, or a designee of the Under Secretary. The Di-
rector of each research hub shall be an individual with 
experience in managing biomedical or health services re-
search and knowledge of regulatory compliance, who shall 
report to the Office of Research and Development with 
respect to activities of the hub. 
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