Protecting the Future of U.S. Biomedical Research

December 7, 2012
The United States has long enjoyed the benefits of its global leadership in biomedical research. From our investment in biomedical research, Americans have been reimbursed with significant medical advances, improved health, and by some estimates, a 2-to-1 economic return on investment. However, a number of challenges threaten our leadership position including tight budgets, a workforce that does not currently reflect the diversity of the population it serves, a profession that is losing its attractiveness to the next generation, and an overflow of data that has proven difficult to manage and harness. With the help of experts from many disciplines throughout the community, NIH today announced a plan to implement multiple initiatives to address these challenges and secure our leadership in biomedical research. The initiatives and NIH's plan for their implementation were presented at the 105th meeting of the Advisory Committee to the Director on December 6-7. I encourage you to learn more about these planned initiatives through the following resources: