Eighty-four percent of the autism research projects funded by federal
agencies had the potential to be duplicative. Of the 1,206 autism research
projects funded by federal agencies from fiscal years 2008 through 2012, 1,018
projects were potentially duplicative because the projects were categorized to
the same objectives in the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee's (IACC)
strategic plan.
Funding similar research on the same topic is sometimes
appropriate—for example, for purposes of replicating or corroborating
results—but in other instances funding similar research may lead to unnecessary
duplication. Each agency funded at least 1 autism research project in the same
strategic plan objective as another agency and at least 4 agencies funded autism
research in the same research area.
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report here.
