[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 236 (Monday, December 9, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Page 67277]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-26451]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Notice to Announce the National Eye Institute (NEI) Draft 
Strategic Plan, 2020 Vision for the Future; Request for Information

AGENCY: National Institutes of Health, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This Request for Information (RFI) is intended to gather broad 
public input to assist the National Eye Institute (NEI), National 
Institutes of Health (NIH) in developing its next strategic plan 
titled, 2020 Vision for the Future. NEI invites input from vison 
researchers in academia and industry, health care professionals, 
patient advocates and advocacy organizations, scientific or 
professional organizations, federal agencies, and other interested 
members of the public. Organizations are strongly encouraged to submit 
a single response that reflects the views of their organization and 
their membership as a whole.

DATES: This Request for Information is open for public comment for a 
period of 55 days. Comments must be received by January 8, 2020 to 
ensure consideration.

ADDRESSES: Comments must be submitted at electronically using the web-
based form available at www.nei.nih.gov/form/rfi.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please direct all inquiries to 
[email protected] and to Nora Wong, 301-496-4308, [email protected]. 
To learn about strategic planning activities at NEI, please visit 
www.nei.nih.gov/about/strategic-planning.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Last year, NEI celebrated the 50th 
anniversary since being established by Congress established in 1968. 
NEI highlighted the multitude of scientific and medical advances made 
by NEI-supported researchers and the impacts on vision care. Charged to 
protect and preserve the vision of the American people, NEI continues 
to support basic and clinical research that unravels the mysteries of 
how vision works at a fundamental level and provides patients with new 
therapies and standards of care that maintain and improve quality of 
life.
    The NEI 50th Anniversary also provoked the scientific, medical, and 
patient communities to reflect upon gaps and opportunities in vision 
research. The NEI Strategic Plan seeks to distill those reflections 
into a cohesive document that will guide efforts to address those gaps 
and opportunities over the next five years. Ultimately, NEI 
stakeholders provide the catalyst for identifying and implementing the 
goals. To that end, NEI welcomes feedback from stakeholders in the 
drafting of the strategic plan.
    In accordance with the 21st Century Cures Act, NIH institutes are 
required to regularly update their strategic plans.
    In 2012, NEI released its strategic plan, ``Vision Research: Needs, 
Gaps, and Opportunities'' ( ), organized around its six core 
anatomically focused program areas (Retinal Diseases; Corneal Diseases; 
Lens and Cataract; Glaucoma and Optic Neuropathies; Strabismus, 
Amblyopia, and Visual Processing; Low Vision and Blindness 
Rehabilitation). In developing that plan, NEI created panels of 
scientists and patient representatives for each program. The plan also 
sparked the Audacious Goals Initiative (AGI), which sought broad-based 
community input to identify ideas to transform vision research and 
care. NEI wants to build on some of the ideas generated through AGI and 
has proposed cross-cutting Areas of Emphasis to organize thinking for 
the next NEI strategic plan.
    NEI is seeking input on the following questions:
     What are the most significant scientific discoveries in 
vision research since 2012?
     What new opportunities have been enabled by scientific 
discoveries or technology development?
     What needs and gaps in research, health, and quality-of-
life should be addressed by the NEI?
    To organize the planning process, NEI has proposed the following 
seven cross-cutting Areas of Emphasis to foster dialogues across 
traditional vision research disciplines and to best capitalize on 
recent scientific opportunities. NEI is particularly interested in 
input relating to these areas of emphasis. However, NEI has always 
been--and will continue to be--committed to high quality investigator-
initiated research and will fund the best science across the broad 
spectrum of vision research.

Visual System in Health and Disease
    [cir] From Genes to Disease Mechanisms
    [cir] Biology and Neuroscience of Vision
    [cir] Immune System & Eye Health
Capitalizing on Emerging Fields
    [cir] Regenerative Medicine
    [cir] Data Science
Preventing Vision Loss and Enhancing Well-Being
    [cir] Individual Quality of Life
    [cir] Public Health & Disparities Research

    To ensure consideration, responses must be submitted electronically 
using the web-based form available at www.nei.nih.gov/form/rfi. 
Responses to this RFI are voluntary and may be submitted anonymously. 
Providing contact information is optional. Therefore, the web form may 
not provide confirmation of response submission. Please do not include 
any personally identifiable or other information that you do not wish 
to make public. Proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive 
information should not be included in responses. Comments submitted 
will be compiled for discussion and incorporated into the strategic 
plan as appropriate. Any personal identifiers (personal names, email 
addresses, etc.) will be removed when responses are compiled.
    This RFI is for informational and planning purposes only and is not 
a solicitation for applications or an obligation on the part of the 
United States (U.S.) Government to provide support for any ideas 
identified in response to it. Please note that the U.S Government will 
not pay for the preparation of any information submitted or for use of 
that information.
    The responses will be reviewed by NIH staff, and individual 
feedback will not be provided to any responder. The Government will use 
the information submitted in response to this RFI at its discretion. 
The Government reserves the right to use any submitted information on 
public NIH websites, in reports, in summaries of the state of the 
science, in any possible resultant solicitation(s), grant(s), or 
cooperative agreement(s), or in the development of future funding 
opportunity announcements.

    Dated: December 3, 2019.
Shefa Gordon,
Associate Director for Science Policy and Legislation, National Eye 
Institute, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 2019-26451 Filed 12-6-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P