The NIGMS Strategic Plan 2008–2012 is the result of a comprehensive consultation process that began in the fall of 2006 and solicited perspectives, opinions, and other input from scientists, policymakers, scientific and professional societies, the general public, and Institute staff. NIGMS Director Jeremy M. Berg appointed a strategic planning committee, composed of NIGMS staff and broadly representing the Institute, to develop the procedures, format, and timetable for the overall strategic planning process and to define some of the key issues.

Following an announcement in the Federal Register, NIGMS posted questions on its Web site between February 20 and March 20, 2007.

These included:

    * What factors should NIGMS consider in deciding how to set its priorities with respect to new and existing areas of support?
    * What factors should NIGMS consider in deciding how to set its priorities with respect to research training?
    * What new and emerging areas, approaches, or technologies in basic biomedical research should NIGMS pursue?
    * As part of its efforts to maintain a balanced research portfolio, how can NIGMS best encourage and support research that is highly innovative and/or risky?
    * Are there areas of current NIGMS research activity that should receive less emphasis?
    * How can NIGMS enhance its communications with the scientific community and the public?
    * How can NIGMS more effectively promote and encourage greater diversity in the biomedical research workforce?

NIGMS staff worked at length to distill input from both the posted questions and the conference, and this information was used to formulate a draft plan, which was posted on the NIGMS Web site for public comment in September 2007.

Download Investing in Discovery: National Institute of General Medical Sciences Strategic Plan 2008–2012

PDF format, 4.2MB, 24Pages.

Table of Contents

    * Investing in Discovery
    * Why Basic Research?
    * Institute Profile
    * Strategic Goals
    * Inside NIGMS
    * Strategic Planning Process
    * References

Visit Investing in Discovery Website

Investing in Discovery

The investments of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) in broad and diverse areas of basic research have built a strong foundation of knowledge for biomedicine. Because science is an activity driven by human insight, the Institute has always believed that providing career stability and workforce diversity are key strategies for maintaining a healthy research enterprise.

I, personally, have been fortunate to experience the benefits of these investments throughout my scientific career. As an undergraduate, graduate student, and postdoctoral fellow, my training and research were supported through research grants to my advisors. When I started my independent career, my research projects were funded through a then-new program directed to beginning faculty members.

As with most basic scientists, my research followed a winding path of discovery. Early in my career, I was fortunate to get to work on grant-supported projects to explore a diversity of scientific topics. These ranged from the development of new physical methods to analyses of the fundamental chemical basis of enzyme action, the study of metalloprotein structures, and biological approaches to understanding gene regulation. Much of this research was greatly enhanced by the molecular biology revolution, which itself had been driven substantially by earlier NIGMS-funded studies.

As a faculty member, I saw first-hand the tremendous impact of NIGMS-supported training grants at my academic institution, as well as the influence of these and other programs on the recruitment of a diverse group of students into research. Later in my career, I witnessed how NIGMS-directed programs could bring together larger groups of scientists to tackle important problems using emerging concepts and technologies.

As Director of NIGMS, my job now is to look ahead. I have been entrusted to assure that NIGMS makes its financial investments with a careful eye toward their long-term impact on the research enterprise and the scientists who do the research.

What lies ahead? The incredible complexity of biology is something that tantalizes and challenges us. We recognize that most biological processes involve large numbers of components, interacting directly and indirectly. But we do not yet have all the tools, both technical and intellectual, to understand such systems in a predictive sense. Biological complexity, nuances of our genomic lexicon, and many other mysteries of biomedicine are waiting to be solved to improve health and fight disease.

Furthermore, we know that fundamental discoveries are yet to be made. While no one can predict which basic findings will be the ones that shift paradigms or create the medical breakthroughs of tomorrow, I am confident that such discoveries will be made over the period of time covered by this plan.

All of us see science evolving at an ever-increasing rate as new advances build on those from the past, and it is critical that the support of science adapts to this rapidly changing landscape. We must take stock of the overall system of biomedical research funding and examine how precious taxpayer resources allocated to NIGMS can be used to support the scientific enterprise—today and into the future, harnessing the creativity of a broad group of scientists.

We developed the NIGMS Strategic Plan 2008–2012 through a comprehensive consultation process that gathered perspectives and opinions from scientists, policymakers, scientific and professional societies, the general public, and Institute staff. The plan articulates the Institute’s core principles and shows how it will make its strategic investments to ensure that a stable basic research environment will endure to provide the knowledge needed to prevent disease and improve health.

Importantly, this plan is not a call for change for change’s sake. In developing it, we saw an opportunity to examine critically our own values and progress, and we intend the plan to serve as a tool for helping us map a course toward solving the great challenges facing biomedicine. Through existing programs and new initiatives, NIGMS aims to maximize the benefit of the public’s basic research investments in human health.
Jeremy M. Berg signature

Jeremy M. Berg, Ph.D.
Director, NIGMS
November 2007

Visit The National Institute of General Medical Sciences Official Website

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) supports basic biomedical research on genes, proteins, and cells. It also funds studies on fundamental processes such as how cells communicate, how our bodies use energy, and how we respond to medicines. The results of this research increase our understanding of life and lay the foundation for advances in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease.

The Institute’s research training programs produce the next generation of biomedical scientists, and NIGMS has programs to encourage minorities underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral science to pursue research careers. NIGMS supported the research of most of the scientists mentioned in this booklet.

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