UC Comment Letters

This comment letter responds to the National Institutes of Health (NIH)'s request for comment on the NIH Electronic Application System for discretionary Certificates of Confidentiality (CoC). The University of California strongly supports NIH’s continued issuance of discretionary CoCs and recommends reinstating the existing electronic application system without changes, emphasizing that these protections are vital for safeguarding sensitive research participant data, supporting ethical human subjects research, and maintaining public trust while minimizing administrative delays.