Dr. Richard Ikeda was an independent consultant who advised companies and institutions on AI, data management, and data reporting on health technology and research. Dr Ikeda obtained his PhD from Caltech in bioorganic chemistry and was an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Georgia Tech, funded by NIH and NSF. He served 21 years at NIH, rising to the Senior Executive Service as Director of the Office of Research Information Systems, where he developed RCDC (Research, Condition and Disease Categorization) and oversaw eRA Commons (a Web-based system for applicants and institutions to participate in the electronic grant administration process). He passed away in November 2024.
Assigning persistent digital identifiers (Digital Object Identifiers, or DOIs) and using ORCIDs (Open Researcher and Contributor IDs) for key personnel to track outputs for research grants will improve the accountability and transparency of federal investments in research and reduce reporting burden.
Research funding agencies should apply the content of grant applications to AI tools to predict the future of scientific and technological breakthroughs, enhance peer review, and encourage better research investment decisions by both the public and the private sector.