Sunshine Project Releases CRISPER: Open Government Tool Enhances Public Access to US Biodefense Program

The Sunshine Project
News Release
4 March 2005

Sunshine Project Releases CRISPER
Open Government Tool Enhances Public Access to US Biodefense Program

Public access to information about federally-sponsored research on biological weapons agents is unlikely to ever be the same again. Not because the US government has reversed its slide into secrecy; but because a non-governmental organization has taken access into its own hands.

Today, the Sunshine Project has released CRISPER (Extended Results), a new open government tool to search and organize research grant data from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). CRISPER has far more powerful capabilities than those offered by the government. While CRISPER is optimized to research projects involving biological weapons agents, it can be used by anyone with an interest in National Institutes of Health research, for example, to research spending on biotechnology, biodiversity, specific diseases, or in specific locations.

CRISPER (http://www.cbwtransparency.org/crisper) searches NIH's Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects (CRISP) database and joins the results with financial data from the NIH Office of Extramural Research, a task that was previously virtually impossible. In addition, CRISPER:

- Adds new search methods (simple search, agent search)
- Provides grant sums for specific years, diseases, institutions, etc.
- Provides clear, easy to read output
- Presents downloadable results for databases or spreadsheets

Drill-down to information about Institutional Biosafety Committees and to convert grant amounts to 2005 dollars are also under development.

CRISPER is a civil society response to the deteriorating state of public access to information about US biomedical research, particularly that involving potential biological weapons agents. Full biodefense transparency is essential for safety, security, and informed public discourse.

The system is intended to be a transparency inducement to NIH: "Our goal is to show NIH how it can fulfill its pledges of openness" (see CRISPER intro page) says Sunshine Project Director Edward Hammond, "We're sorry if CRISP-ER is embarrassing for NIH; but good government demands that its functions be available to the public. It will be a happy day when we shut CRISP-ER down because NIH has seen the light."

CRISPER has already proven its value. Referring to the ongoing controversy over NIAID's biodefense program prompted by a protest letter from more than 750 microbiologists, Hammond says "CRISP-ER results demonstrate that NIH's own data supports the microbiologists' charge that spending on high priority public health diseases is on the decline. Double digit declines in NIAID grants, in fact, for many important non-biodefense diseases."

NIAID Competitive Awards, Change Over 3 Years
Three Year Sums, adjusted to constant 2005 USD
using the NIH Biomedical Research and Development Price Index

Source: CRISPER (http://www.cbwtransparency.org/crisper), 4 March 05

Disease(s)
FY 1999-2001

FY 2002-2004

Change

Priority BW Bacteria Agents (anthrax, glanders, melioidosis, brucella, plague) $7,450,634 $185,399,724
+2388%

Priority BW Virus Agents (Ebola, Marburg, Lassa, Smallpox) $5,941,136 $119,856,911
+1917%

Influenza $43,001,408 $94,331,807
+119%

HIV $534,668,521 $426,047,982
-20%

Tuberculosis $166,890,306 $134,189,062
-20%

Hepatitis $139,438,806 $59,063,452
-58%

Malaria $92,207,407 $54,401,748
-41%

Chlamydia $36,395,364 $22,185,593

-39%

Lyme Disease $13,556,147 $13,335,231

-2%

Gonnorhea $23,126,416 $12,282,975
-53%

Candida albicans $20,801,528 $10,249,011
-51%

Sleeping Sickness (trypanosomiasis) $9,957,335 $9,748,964
-2%

Chagas Disease $8,672,725 $6,494,681
-25%

Ehrlichiosis $5,632,436 $2,931,906
-48%

Whooping Cough (pertussis) $4,014,340 $2,877,179
-28%

Legionnaire's Disease (legionella) $5,397,997 $2,416,099
-55%

NIH Study Groups
FY 1999-2001
FY 2002-2004
Change

Basic Bacterial Microbiology (BM + MBC) $199,327,009 $145,109,803
-27%

Basic Viral Microbiology (VR + EVR) $111,704,182 $105,539,614
-6%

"The Sunshine Project is a very small organization and we're grateful to those who helped us develop CRISP-ER," says Hammond, "It's wonderful to be able to offer this powerful new tool free of charge. CRISP-ER is far better than anything that NIH has to offer - at least to the public."

CRISPER is online at the website of the Sunshine Project's Bioweapons and Biodefense Freedom of Information Fund, URL:

http://www.cbwtransparency.org/crisper

NIAID Competitive Awards, Change Over 3 Years	Three Year Sums, adjusted to constant 2005 USD using the NIH Biomedical Research and Development Price Index
Source: CRISPER (http://www.cbwtransparency.org/crisper), 4 March 05
Disease(s)	FY 1999-2001	FY 2002-2004	Change
Priority BW Bacteria Agents (anthrax, glanders, melioidosis, brucella, plague)	$7,450,634	$185,399,724	+2388%
Priority BW Virus Agents (Ebola, Marburg, Lassa, Smallpox)	$5,941,136	$119,856,911	+1917%
Influenza	$43,001,408	$94,331,807	+119%
HIV	$534,668,521	$426,047,982	-20%
Tuberculosis	$166,890,306	$134,189,062	-20%
Hepatitis	$139,438,806	$59,063,452	-58%
Malaria	$92,207,407	$54,401,748	-41%
Chlamydia	$36,395,364	$22,185,593	-39%
Lyme Disease	$13,556,147	$13,335,231	-2%
Gonnorhea	$23,126,416	$12,282,975	-53%
Candida albicans	$20,801,528	$10,249,011	-51%
Sleeping Sickness (trypanosomiasis)	$9,957,335	$9,748,964	-2%
Chagas Disease	$8,672,725	$6,494,681	-25%
Ehrlichiosis	$5,632,436	$2,931,906	-48%
Whooping Cough (pertussis)	$4,014,340	$2,877,179	-28%
Legionnaire's Disease (legionella)	$5,397,997	$2,416,099	-55%
NIH Study Groups	FY 1999-2001	FY 2002-2004	Change
Basic Bacterial Microbiology (BM + MBC)	$199,327,009	$145,109,803	-27%
Basic Viral Microbiology (VR + EVR)	$111,704,182	$105,539,614	-6%