Planning and evaluation activities of the Koch Institute are under the purview of the Senior Leadership, the Koch Institute Executive Committee and Scientific Advisory Board as well as the Administrative staff. In addition, the Koch Institute is also linked to review and planning mechanisms of MIT. Policies and specific decisions about scientific planning, hiring, membership, and the use of CCSG and other funds are made after consultation with the broader Membership. In his role as Director, Dr. Jacks receives critical support from Senior Leadership consisting of Associate Directors, Drs. Lees and Wittrup, and the Assistant Director for Administration, Ms. Quense. Dr. Jacks meets regularly with the Koch Institute Executive Committee, comprised of Senior Leadership members and other Program Leaders (Drs. Amon, Bhatia, Hynes, Langer, Sharp, Wittrup, and Yaffe). These individuals bring a wealth of administrative experience to the leadership structure of the Koch Institute. In addition, the there is an active Scientific Advisory Board, which plays a critical advising role the Director and Center Leadership. MIT evaluation of the research, shared resources, administration and operating structure of the Koch Institute occurs via several processes. Formal internal MIT evaluation processes include an annual report by the Koch Institute Director to the President of MIT and an annual report and budget meeting with the Vice President for Research. The Koch Institute is also subject to review by the Visiting Committee of the Department of Biology, which is appointed by the MIT Corporation and is made up of prominent scientists from outside of MIT and individuals from industry. The most recent Visiting Committee meeting was held in spring 2013. These evaluations are used in determining financial support and space allocations by MIT to the KI; both have increased over the last grant period, reflecting the strong reputation and status of the Koch Institute within MIT. The Koch Institute has several additional means of planning and evaluation. Principal among these are the Koch Institute Annual Retreat and bi-weekly Koch Institute CCSG Program and Faculty Meetings. The annual off-site retreats have proven to be an excellent opportunity for Koch Institute members and their laboratories to engage with each other and discuss their science, formally and informally. They are also very useful for the Koch Institute leadership to evaluate the Programs and membership as a whole; in recent years, the retreats have also been used as a mechanism to evaluate the candidacy of potential Koch Institute members. In addition, the Koch Institute members meet approximately every two weeks during the academic year to discuss scientific developments, Koch Institute business, and future directions. Strong mechanisms for ongoing review of Koch Institute Core Facilities are in place to ensure scientific needs of the Center members are met.
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