Program seeks Council approval for continuation of the NIH-wide initiative “Opportunities for Collaborative Research at the NIH Clinical Center” which involves 14 NIH Institutes/Centers, in partnership with the NIH Clinical Center located on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland.
In response to the recommendations of a congressionally mandated working group, NICHD took the lead in implementing a new multi-IC program to promote extramural-intramural partnerships using the unique resources of the NIH Clinical Center. The pilot program resulted in a number of innovative collaborative projects. Continuation of this program is justified because of continued interest in the research community and among the participating NIH Institutes/Centers, and because it affords a unique opportunity for extramural-intramural collaborations not otherwise available. Renewal for another 3 years will enable NIH to build upon the successes of this initiative.
The goal of this program is to support collaborative translational research projects aligned with NIH efforts to enhance the translation of basic biological discoveries into clinical applications that improve the nation’s health. It encourages high quality science demonstrating the potential to result in understanding an important disease process or lead to new therapeutic interventions, diagnostics, or prevention strategies within the research interests and priorities of the participating NIH Institutes/Centers.
Specifically, the program seeks to broaden and strengthen translational research collaborations between basic and clinical researchers both within and outside NIH to accelerate and enhance translational science by promoting partnerships between NIH intramural investigators (e.g., those conducting research within the labs and clinics of the NIH) and extramural investigators (e.g., those conducting research in labs outside the NIH), and by providing support for extramural investigators to take advantage of the unique research opportunities available at the NIH Clinical Center by conducting clinical research projects in collaboration with NIH intramural investigators. It is also intended to increase utilization of the NIH Clinical Center.
In order to be eligible for this program, projects must include at least one intramural scientist as a co-Program Director/Principal Investigator (co-PD/PI), and at least some of the clinical research must be conducted at the NIH Clinical Center. Through this collaboration, external researchers may gain access to the NIH Clinical Center and leverage the diverse Clinical Center resources, expertise, and infrastructure available to test promising laboratory-and animal-based discoveries with potential for advancing disease diagnosis, treatment and prevention. The special environment of the Clinical Center can support studies that may not be readily supported elsewhere. This may include collaborations that propose targeted increases in new patients enrolled in protocols at the Clinical Center. For this initiative, patients must be seen at the NIH Clinical Center. Projects that take only minimal advantage of Clinical Center resources, such as projects only utilizing banked samples or data, will not be considered for funding.
This scope of this proposal is broad and cross-cutting, and therefore would align with several Themes within the NICHD Strategic Plan 2020. It is specifically responsive to the Scientific Stewardship goal of “Partnering to Enhance Science.”
Program Contact
Eugene Hayunga
Division of Extramural Activities (DEA)
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