‘‘(b) FUNCTIONS.—Each research hub shall, in co-
ordination with the Office of Research and Development, 
carry out the following functions in support of Department 
research within the applicable area of geographic responsi-
bility: 
‘‘(1) Facilitating the efficient and timely review 
of research protocols by coordinating institutional 
review board approvals for multi-site studies, includ-
ing— 
‘‘(A) establishing or utilizing regional or 
central institutional review boards to serve mul-
tiple facilities; 
‘‘(B) 
harmonizing 
institutional 
review 
board submission requirements; and 
‘‘(C) ensuring that a single institutional re-
view board of record can be used for multi-site 
projects when feasible and in accordance with 
applicable regulations. 
‘‘(2) Providing technical assistance and support 
to investigators and research staff at facilities in the 
region. Such support shall include— 
‘‘(A) guidance on research proposal devel-
opment; 
‘‘(B) study design and methodology con-
sultation; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
18:40 Dec 27, 2025
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00019
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6583.IH
H6583
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
‘‘(C) assistance with regulatory compli-
ance, including human subjects protections, ani-
mal care, and safety regulations; and 
‘‘(D) training or education programs for 
new investigators and research coordinators to 
build research capacity. 
‘‘(3) Coordinating research efforts among the 
Department facilities in the region and with affili-
ated academic institutions or other partners. Such 
research efforts shall identify opportunities for 
multi-site research projects, promote sharing of re-
sources (including research equipment, specialized 
laboratories, or data resources), and encourage col-
laboration on studies that address veteran health 
priorities. Pursuant to such research efforts, the re-
search hub may organize regular regional research 
meetings or consortia to foster information exchange 
and partnership among investigators and clinicians. 
‘‘(4) Assisting investigators in developing strat-
egies for recruitment and enrollment of veteran par-
ticipants in research studies, especially for multi-site 
clinical trials or studies requiring large sample sizes. 
The hub shall facilitate outreach to veterans in the 
region who might be eligible for ongoing studies, in 
accordance with privacy rules, and coordinate with 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
18:40 Dec 27, 2025
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00020
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6583.IH
H6583
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
local clinical staff to improve awareness and engage-
ment in research opportunities. 
‘‘(5) Offering centralized administrative support 
for research projects, such as budget and grant 
management assistance, data management and bio-
statistical support, and guidance on using Depart-
ment data systems, including the VA Centralized 
Research Data System under section 7383 of this 
title and other information tools, for research pur-
poses. 
‘‘(6) Performing such other research-supporting 
functions consistent with the goal of enhancing the 
productivity, efficiency, and effects of the research 
enterprise of the Department in service of veterans, 
as the Secretary or Under Secretary for Health de-
termine appropriate. 
‘‘(c) EVALUATION AND OVERSIGHT.—(1) The Chief 
Research and Development Officer of the Office of Re-
search and Development of the Department shall oversee 
the performance of the research hubs and ensure such re-
search hubs are meeting the needs of the respective re-
gions in which such research hubs are located. 
‘‘(2) The Under Secretary for Health shall establish 
metrics and goals for the hubs, including metrics related 
to institutional review board review times, number of 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
18:40 Dec 27, 2025
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00021
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6583.IH
H6583
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
multi-site studies supported, training activities conducted, 
and improvements in veteran research enrollment. 
‘‘(3) The Under Secretary shall— 
‘‘(A) require each research hub to submit peri-
odic reports to the Under Secretary with respect to 
the activities carried out by the research hub and 
the outcomes of such activities; and 
‘‘(B) include such periodic reports into the an-
nual report under section 7388 of this title. 
‘‘(d) CONSULTATION AND PARTNERSHIPS.—In estab-
lishing and operating the research hubs, the Secretary 
may collaborate with Federal partners, including the De-
partment of Defense and the National Institutes of 
Health, and academic affiliates to co-locate or jointly sup-
port resources that benefit both Department and non-De-
partment research endeavors. The Secretary may also seek 
input from investigators, veterans, and other stakeholders 
in each region in which a research hub is located with re-
spect to the research priorities and support needs the re-
search hubs should address. 
‘‘§ 7388. Research performance metrics; annual re-
port 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF METRICS; BENCHMARKING 
PROGRAM.—The Secretary shall develop and implement a 
standardized program of metrics to assess the perform-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
18:40 Dec 27, 2025
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00022
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6583.IH
H6583
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
ance, productivity, and impact of research activities at 
each facility of the Veterans Health Administration (in-
cluding Department medical centers and affiliated clinics) 
that conducts research. Such metrics shall be used to 
benchmark Veterans Health Administration facilities 
against each other and against Departmental goals to 
identify best practices and areas for improvement. At a 
minimum, such metrics shall include measures of the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(1) The volume of research projects under-
taken and completed, and the efficiency of research 
processes at the facility, including— 
‘‘(A) the number of research proposals 
submitted, approved, and initiated each year; 
‘‘(B) the average or median time from pro-
posal submission to institutional review board 
approval and project start; and 
‘‘(C) the number of studies completed or 
publications produced per year, normalized to 
the research staff or funding level. 
‘‘(2) The extent of veteran engagement in re-
search at the facility, including— 
‘‘(A) the total number of veteran partici-
pants enrolled in clinical trials or other research 
studies; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
18:40 Dec 27, 2025
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00023
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6583.IH
H6583
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
‘‘(B) and the percentage of the facility’s 
patient population or eligible population in-
volved in research. 
‘‘(3) The degree to which research findings are 
implemented into clinical care or inform improve-
ments to health care delivery at the facility. This 
may include— 
‘‘(A) the number of evidence-based inter-
ventions or new clinical practices adopted by 
the facility that originated from research 
(whether Department-funded or external re-
search); 
‘‘(B) the period of time between research 
discovery and implementation at the facility; 
and 
‘‘(C) qualitative examples of significant 
changes in patient care driven by research find-
ings. 
‘‘(4) If determined relevant by the Secretary— 
‘‘(A) the level of collaboration and external 
support, including the number of partnerships 
with academic or industry researchers; 
‘‘(B) the amount of non-Department re-
search funding (including grants from the Na-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
18:40 Dec 27, 2025
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00024
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6583.IH
H6583
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
tional Institutes of Health or the Department 
of Defense) managed through the facility; and 
‘‘(C) the extent of participation in multi- 
site or nationwide studies. 
‘‘(5) Any other quantifiable measure that the 
Secretary considers appropriate to evaluate research 
program effectiveness, including— 
‘‘(A) compliance with research safety and 
ethics requirements; 
‘‘(B) training and career development of 
researchers; and 
‘‘(C) innovation in research operations. 
‘‘(b) ANNUAL REPORT.—(1) Not later than 180 days 
after the end of each fiscal year, and on an annual basis 
thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees 
on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and 
the Senate a report on the performance of the research 
program of the Department, with specific emphasis on the 
facility-level metrics described in subsection (a). The re-
port shall include, for the fiscal year during which the re-
port is submitted, the following: 
‘‘(A) A table or summary displaying each med-
ical center of the Department, and any other major 
research site, and values of such research site for 
each of the performance metrics in subsection (a) 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
18:40 Dec 27, 2025
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00025
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6583.IH
H6583
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
for the fiscal year and, for context, for at least one 
prior year. 
‘‘(B) An analysis by the Secretary identifying 
which facilities represent the highest performers in 
various categories (including shortest research ap-
proval times, highest veteran participation rates, 
most implementations of findings, and which facili-
ties are lagging behind benchmarks or averages). 
The analysis should discuss factors contributing to 
strong performance, as well as challenges faced by 
lower-performing sites. 
‘‘(C) A description of efforts of the Department 
to improve research performance and address any 
identified deficiencies. This should include any initia-
tives to share best practices from high-performing 
facilities, targeted support or corrective actions for 
under-performing facilities, and progress updates on 
any ongoing Department-wide research improvement 
efforts. 
‘‘(D) Highlights of significant research accom-
plishments from the year, especially instances where 
research conducted by the Department led to im-
provements in veteran care, new treatments or tech-
nologies, or notable scientific publications, as well as 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
18:40 Dec 27, 2025
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00026
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6583.IH
H6583
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
recognition of any researchers or teams for excep-
tional contributions. 
‘‘(2) The first annual report under this subsection 
shall be submitted not later than 18 months after the date 
of the enactment of this section. 
‘‘(c) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—(1) The Secretary shall 
make each annual report under subsection (b) publicly 
available on an internet website of the Department, in a 
format that is readily accessible to veterans, researchers, 
and other stakeholders. 
‘‘(2) The publicly released version of the report may 
aggregate or anonymize data as the Secretary determines 
necessary to protect personal privacy and to safeguard 
confidential research project details. 
‘‘(3) The Secretary is encouraged to include on the 
website user-friendly visualizations or dashboards that il-
lustrate the performance of the applicable research pro-
gram on key metrics over time and by facility. 
‘‘(d) SUNSET OR MODIFICATION OF METRICS.—(1) 
The Secretary shall continuously evaluate the relevance 
and effectiveness of the performance metrics established 
under subsection (a). The Secretary may modify the 
metrics or benchmarking methods under subsection (a), 
as the Secretary determines appropriate, to better meas-
ure research impact and efficiency. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
18:40 Dec 27, 2025
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00027
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6583.IH
H6583
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
‘‘(2) Any such modifications shall be described in the 
annual report under subsection (b). 
‘‘§ 7389. Integration of research data and interagency 
collaboration 
‘‘(a) IMPROVEMENT
OF DATA SHARING
FOR RE-
SEARCH.—(1) The Secretary may include, in the plan re-
quired under section 108(a)(1) of the Senator Elizabeth 
Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Im-
provement Act (Public Law 118–210; 38 U.S.C. note prec. 
5701), such actions as may be necessary to facilitate the 
secure integration and sharing of data for research pur-
poses between the Department and key research partners, 
including other Federal agencies and academic institu-
tions. 
‘‘(2) For purposes of this subsection, the Secretary 
shall ensure that any data in the custody, possession, or 
control of the Department, (without regard to the original 
ownership of such data), may be shared to the extent per-
mitted under applicable privacy, security, and ethical 
standards. 
‘‘(3) The Secretary may include a description of any 
actions taken pursuant to this subsection in the reports 
required under subsection (c)(2) of such section. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
18:40 Dec 27, 2025
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00028
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6583.IH
H6583
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
‘‘(4) In carrying out this subsection, the Secretary 
shall seek to improve interoperability of data systems and 
ease of collaboration with the following: 
‘‘(A) The Department of Defense, to— 
‘‘(i) facilitate research on— 
‘‘(I) members of the Armed Forces 
assigned to active duty; and 
‘‘(II) veterans across the continuum 
of military service and post-service life; 
and 
‘‘(ii) support joint research initiatives of 
the Department and the Department of De-
fense. 
‘‘(B) The Department of Health and Human 
Services, including the National Institutes of Health 
and other components engaged in biomedical and 
health services research, to facilitate— 
‘‘(i) mutually beneficial sharing of health 
data and research results; and 
‘‘(ii) participation of the Department in 
national research efforts, such as clinical trials 
networks and observational study consortia. 
‘‘(C) Affiliated universities and other academic 
research institutions that partner with the Depart-
ment or receive research funding from the Depart-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
18:40 Dec 27, 2025
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00029
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6583.IH
H6583
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
ment, to ensure that researchers can collaborate ef-
fectively while maintaining appropriate data security 
and patient privacy. 
‘‘(D) Other public or private research entities 
as determined appropriate by the Secretary, includ-
ing nonprofit research organizations or industry 
partners, especially in contexts where cooperation 
can accelerate the development of treatments or 
technologies for the benefit of veterans. 
‘‘(c) PRIVACY
AND SECURITY.—(1) All activities 
under this section shall be carried out in compliance with 
applicable Federal privacy laws, including the Health In-
surance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 
(HIPAA, Public Law 104–191; 110 Stat. 1936) and the 
Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), and with regulations 
governing human subjects research confidentiality. 
‘‘(2) In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall 
ensure that robust safeguards are in place to protect per-
sonally identifiable information and personal health infor-
mation of veterans. Such safeguards shall include user au-
thentication, role-based access controls, encryption of data 
in transit and at rest, continuous monitoring for unau-
thorized access or anomalies, and regular cybersecurity 
audits. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
18:40 Dec 27, 2025
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00030
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6583.IH
H6583
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
‘‘(3) When sharing data with the Department of De-
fense or other agencies, the Secretary shall, to the max-
imum extent practicable, use secure Federal health data 
exchange frameworks and reciprocal data access agree-
ments that uphold the same or higher standards of privacy 
and security as those used within the Department. 
‘‘(d) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out the provisions 
of this section, the Secretary shall consult with relevant 
Federal officials and outside experts, including the Chief 
Information Officer of the Department of Defense or des-
ignee, the Director of the National Institutes of Health 
or designee, and representatives of academic institutions 
with expertise in health information tools and data shar-
ing.’’. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
18:40 Dec 27, 2025
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00031
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H6583.IH
H6583
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB