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Since 2006, in accordance with mandates from the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of the Secretary of
Transportation, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration's (PHMSA) Pipeline Safety Research and Development
(R&D) Program has held annual peer reviews of active Core Program
research projects that are designed to maintain research data
quality. PHMSA holds these reviews virtually via teleconference and
the internet, saving both time and resources by foregoing physical
meeting spaces. Virtual teleconferences facilitate attendance from
Canada, Europe, and all U.S. time zones, making it easier for
panelists, researchers, project cosponsors, and Agreement Officer
Representatives (AORs) to participate.
The annual peer review continues to build on a strong, systematic
evaluation process that was developed by PHMSA's Pipeline Safety R&D
Program and certified by the Government Accountability Office. The
2019 peer-review panel, which was made up of 6 academic
representatives, reviewed 17 projects using the following 6
evaluation criteria:
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Is progress being made towards project objectives and project
management for both the budget and the schedule?
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Is there a plan for technology transfer or the dissemination of
results, including publications, reporting, and/or patents?
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How much end-user involvement is incorporated into the scope of
work?
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Is the project work being communicated to other related research
efforts?
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Are the intended results consistent with scientific knowledge
and/or engineering principles?
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Are the intended results presented in such a manner as to be
useful for identified end users?
The rating categories assigned by the peer-review panel are
"Ineffective", "Effective", "More Than Effective", and "Very
Effective." The average score for the 17 projects assessed during
the May 2019 review was "More Than Effective".
The greatest project strengths that were identified were in the
areas of technology transfer, end-user involvement, and project
communication, while maintaining project schedule was indicated as
the area needing the most improvement.
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