[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 91 (Thursday, May 9, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39631-39632]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-10134]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Request for Information on the Development of the Fiscal Years 
2026-2030 NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for Sexual & Gender Minority Health 
Research

AGENCY: National Institutes of Health, HHS.

ACTION: Request for information.

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SUMMARY: Through this Request for Information (RFI), the Sexual & 
Gender Minority Research Office (SGMRO) in the Division of Program 
Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI), Office of 
the Director (OD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), invites 
feedback from the scientific research community, clinical practice

[[Page 39632]]

communities, patient and family advocates, scientific or professional 
organizations, federal partners, internal NIH stakeholders, and other 
interested constituents on the development of the Fiscal Years 2026-
2030 NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for Sexual and Gender Minority Health 
Research. This plan will describe future directions in sexual and 
gender minority (SGM) health and research to optimize NIH's research 
investments.

DATES: The SGMRO's RFI is open for public comment for a period of 60 
days. Comments must be received on or before 11:59:59 p.m. ET, June 26, 
2024, to ensure consideration. After the public comment period has 
closed, comments received by SGMRO will be considered in a timely 
manner for the development of the Fiscal Years 2026-2030 NIH-Wide 
Strategic Plan for SGM Health Research.

How To Submit a Response

    All responses should be submitted electronically at the RFI 
submission website, https://rfi.grants.nih.gov/?s=660c63fa171bc46e9c038e92, by 11:59:59 p.m. (ET) on June 26, 2024. 
You will receive an electronic confirmation acknowledging receipt of 
your response.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Irene Avila, Ph.D., Assistant 
Director, Sexual & Gender Minority Research Office (SGMRO), 
[email protected], (301) 594-9701.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Background: ``Sexual and gender minority'' is an umbrella term that 
includes, but is not limited to, individuals who identify as lesbian, 
gay, bisexual, asexual, transgender, Two-Spirit, queer, and/or 
intersex. Individuals with same-sex or -gender attractions or behaviors 
and those with variations in sex characteristics are also included. 
These populations also encompass those who do not self-identify with 
one of these terms but whose sexual orientation, gender identity or 
expression, or reproductive development is characterized by non-binary 
constructs of sexual orientation, gender, and/or sex.
    The Sexual and Gender Minority Research Office (SGMRO) at https://dpcpsi.nih.gov/sgmro coordinates sexual and gender minority (SGM)-
related research and activities by working directly with the National 
Institutes of Health (NIH) Institutes, Centers, and Offices. The Office 
was officially established in September 2015 within the NIH Division of 
Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives in the Office 
of the Director.
    This Federal Register notice is in accordance with the 21st Century 
Cures Act, requiring NIH to regularly update their strategic plans. In 
2020, NIH launched its Strategic Plan to Advance Research on the Health 
and Well-being of Sexual and Gender Minorities, Fiscal Years (FY) 2021-
2025 at https://dpcpsi.nih.gov/sites/default/files/SGMStrategicPlan_2021_2025.pdf. The current strategic plan is NIH's 
second strategic plan focused on SGM health research and has provided 
the NIH with a framework to improve the health of SGM populations 
through increased research and support of scientists conducting SGM 
health-related research. In January 2023, SGMRO published a mid-course 
review at https://dpcpsi.nih.gov/sites/default/files/2023-09/SGMRO-StrategicPlan-MidCourseReview-Report-5-508.pdf of the current NIH SGM 
strategic plan that provided recommendations to support further 
progress on the goals described therein. To establish NIH priorities in 
SGM health-related research for the next five years, SGMRO requests 
input from SGM health, research, and related communities in refining 
the goals of the FY26-FY30 strategic plan.
    Request for Comment on the NIH-Wide SGM Health Research Strategic 
Plan FY26--FY30: NIH is developing a strategic plan to advance SGM 
research in FY26-FY30. This RFI invites input from interested parties 
throughout the scientific research, advocacy, and clinical practice 
communities, federal partners, those employed by the Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS) and NIH or at institutions receiving 
NIH support as well as the general public, regarding the below topics 
for the NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for SGM Health Research. This input is 
a valuable component in developing the SGM health research strategic 
plan, and the community's time and consideration are appreciated. NIH 
seeks comments and/or suggestions from all interested parties on the 
following topics:
     The highest priority needs, and emerging areas of 
opportunity related to SGM health research at NIH.
     Actions that NIH should prioritize to advance SGM health-
related research.
     Partnerships NIH should pursue, both inside and outside of 
government, to advance SGM health-related research.
     Any other relevant topics that NIH should consider when 
developing the next NIH-Wide strategic plan for SGM health research.
    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. Do not include any proprietary, classified, 
confidential, trade secret, or sensitive information in your response. 
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.
    This RFI is for information and planning purposes only and should 
not be construed as a solicitation for applications or proposals, or as 
an obligation in any way on the part of the United States Federal 
Government, NIH, or individual NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices to 
provide support for any ideas identified in response to it. The Federal 
Government will not pay for the preparation of any information 
submitted or for the Government's use of such information.
    No basis for claims against the U.S. Government shall arise as a 
result of a response to this RFI or from the Government's use of such 
information. Additionally, the Government cannot guarantee the 
confidentiality of the information provided.

    Dated: May 2, 2024.
Lawrence A. Tabak,
Principal Deputy Director, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 2024-10134 Filed 5-8-24; 8:45 am]
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