[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 30 (Thursday, February 13, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8310-8311]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-02919]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Request for Information (RFI): Inviting Comments and Suggestions 
on a Framework for the NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for FYs 2021-2025

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 Institutes of Health (NIH) in 
developing the NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years (FYs) 2021-
2025. NIH invites input from stakeholders throughout the scientific 
research, advocacy, and clinical practice communities, as well as the 
general public, regarding the proposed framework for the FY 2021-2025 
NIH-Wide Strategic Plan. Organizations are strongly encouraged to 
submit a single response that reflects the views of their organization 
and their membership as a whole.

DATES: This RFI is open for public comment for a period of 6 weeks. 
Comments must be received by 11:59:59 p.m. (ET) on March 25, 2020 to 
ensure consideration.

ADDRESSES: All comments must be submitted electronically on the 
submission website, available at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/rfi/rfi.cfm?ID=101.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please direct all inquiries to: Marina 
Volkov, [email protected], 301.496.4147.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the NIH-Wide Strategic Plan 
is to communicate how NIH will advance its mission to support research 
in pursuit of fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of 
living systems, and the application of that knowledge to enhance 
health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability.
    The current NIH-Wide Strategic Plan (available at: https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/nih-wide-strategic-plan), covering FYs 2016-2020, 
was submitted to Congress on December 15, 2015. As part of implementing 
the 21st Century Cures Act (Pub. L. 114-255), NIH will update its 
Strategic Plan every five years. The agency is currently developing an 
updated NIH-Wide Strategic Plan, for FYs 2021-2025, and anticipates 
releasing it in December 2020.
    The FY 2021-2025 NIH-Wide Strategic Plan will highlight NIH's 
approach towards the achievement of its mission while ensuring good 
stewardship of taxpayer funds. It is not intended to outline the myriad 
of important research opportunities for specific diseases or 
conditions. Nor will it focus on the specific research missions of each 
component Institute, Center and Office. Those opportunities are found 
within strategic plans that are specific to an Institute, Center, or 
Office, or specific to a particular disease or disorder. (A list of 
Institute, Center, or Office-specific, topical, and other NIH-wide or 
interagency strategic plans is available at https://report.nih.gov/strategicplans/.)
    The Framework for the FY 2021-2025 NIH-Wide Strategic Plan, below, 
articulates NIH's priorities in three key areas (Objectives): 
Biomedical and behavioral science research; scientific research 
capacity; and scientific integrity, public accountability, and social 
responsibility in the conduct of science. These Objectives apply across 
NIH. In addition, several Cross-Cutting Themes, which span the scope of 
these Objectives, are identified.

NIH-Wide Strategic Plan Framework

Cross Cutting Themes

 Increasing, Enhancing, and Supporting Diversity
 Improving Women's Health and Minority Health, and Reducing 
Health Disparities

[[Page 8311]]

 Optimizing Data Science and the Development of Technologies 
and Tools
 Promoting Collaborative Science
 Addressing Public Health Challenges Across the Lifespan

Objective 1: Advancing Biomedical and Behavioral Sciences

 Driving Foundational Science
 Preventing Disease and Promoting Health
 Developing Treatments, Interventions, and Cures

Objective 2: Developing, Maintaining, and Renewing Scientific Research 
Capacity

 Cultivating the Biomedical Research Workforce
 Supporting Research Resources and Infrastructure

Objective 3: Exemplifying and Promoting the Highest Level of Scientific 
Integrity, Public Accountability, and Social Responsibility in the 
Conduct of Science

 Fostering a Culture of Good Scientific Stewardship
 Leveraging Partnerships
 Ensuring Accountability and Confidence in Biomedical and 
Behavioral Sciences
 Optimizing Operations
    The NIH seeks comments on any or all of, but not limited to, the 
following topics:
 Cross-Cutting Themes articulated in the framework, and/or 
additional cross-cutting themes that may be considered
 NIH's priorities across the three key areas (Objectives) 
articulated in the framework, including potential benefits, drawbacks 
or challenges, and other priority areas for consideration
 Future opportunities or emerging trans-NIH needs
    NIH encourages organizations (e.g., patient advocacy groups, 
professional organizations) to submit a single response reflective of 
the views of the organization or membership as a whole.
    Responses to this RFI are voluntary and may be submitted 
anonymously. Please do not include any personally identifiable 
information or any information that you do not wish to make public. 
Proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should 
not be included in your response. 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 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. This RFI is for informational and planning purposes only 
and is not a solicitation for applications or an obligation on the part 
of the Government to provide support for any ideas identified in 
response to it. Please note that the Government will not pay for the 
preparation of any information submitted or for use of that 
information.
    We look forward to your input and hope that you will share this RFI 
opportunity with your colleagues.

    Dated: February 7, 2020.
Lawrence A. Tabak,
Principal Deputy Director, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 2020-02919 Filed 2-12-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4140-01-P