# 2025-20989: Scientists Hold Fourth Secret Meeting, Still Won't Explain Anything

2025-20989, Center for Scientific Review; Notice of Closed Meetings, is a Federal Register notice from Health and Human Services Department, National Institutes of Health published 2025-11-25, effective 2025-12-18 (as of 2026-06-08).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-20989
- As of: 2026-06-08
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2025-20989
- Title: Center for Scientific Review; Notice of Closed Meetings
- Type: Notice
- Agencies: Health and Human Services Department; National Institutes of Health
- Citation: 90 FR 53332
- Published: 2025-11-25
- Effective: 2025-12-18
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: no
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-06-08

## In one line

Scientists Hold Fourth Secret Meeting, Still Won't Explain Anything

## Summary

The Center for Scientific Review is holding a closed virtual meeting on December 18-19, 2025, to review grant applications for cancer drug development. These meetings are private to protect secret business info and personal details. Scientists and small businesses applying for grants should note this important review process, which helps decide funding but doesn’t change any deadlines or money right now.

## Effects PRIA read

- Closed NIH Small-Business Grant Review: benefit, low. The NIH Center for Scientific Review will hold a closed virtual meeting on December 18-19, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., to review and evaluate Small Business grant applications for cancer drug development. If you are a scientist or small business applying for these grants, the meeting is priv…
- Public Access Restricted to Meeting: cost, low. The December 18-19, 2025 meeting is closed to the public under sections 552b(c)(4) and 552b(c)(6), so the public cannot observe the grant review discussions. The closure is intended to prevent disclosure of trade secrets and personal information.

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- [2026-20771](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20771): Center for Scientific Review; Notice of Closed Meetings, 2026-10-09
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- [2026-20151](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20151): Notice of NIH Tribal Consultations and Listening Session, 2026-10-01
- [2026-19719](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19719): Center for Scientific Review; Amended Notice of Meeting, 2026-09-28

## Sources
- [2025-20989 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/11/25/2025-20989/center-for-scientific-review-notice-of-closed-meetings)
- [2025-20989 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-11-25/pdf/2025-20989.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2025-20988, Center for Scientific Review; Notice of Closed Meetings](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-20988)
- [Next: 2025-20990, Center for Scientific Review; Notice of Closed Meetings](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-20990)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-20989 (as of 2026-06-08).