Barbara Alving, M.D., M.A.C.P.
Director, NCRR
Transcending geographic boundaries and research disciplines, the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) supports unique and essential resources that help researchers funded through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) transform basic scientific discoveries into improved human health.
The next five years will be pivotal for NCRR as it seeks to energize the discipline of clinical and translational research across the country. This is NCRR’s opportunity to expand and leverage existing activities and create new avenues that will address the evolving needs of the biomedical research community. This Strategic Plan is intended to provide NCRR with a solid foundation for moving forward.
This Plan reflects extensive discussions and advice from a broad spectrum of individuals, including biomedical scientists, high-level administrators in research institutions, members of professional organizations, and NIH senior program staff. Through a Federal Register notice, NCRR received more than 500 responses to six broad basic resource questions, which served as a framework for NCRR’s December 2007 Strategic Planning Forum held in Rockville, Md.
At this two-day forum, more than 80 invited participants identified research trends and needs and also shared their recommendations for addressing critical problems in translational research. Forum participants represented a cross-section of investigators, clinicians, and other representatives of NCRR’s core constituencies. Their wisdom, advice, and judgment, together with earlier comments from other interested individuals, serve as the basis for this strategic endeavor.
Implementation of the Plan will require that NCRR continue to develop and explore creative ways to partner with other federal government agencies and additional organizations, both public and private. NCRR also will continue to enlist the help of researchers and administrators across the biomedical research community to ensure successful implementation of the Plan and its continued evolution in response to new challenges and discoveries.
Sincerely,
Barbara Alving, M.D., M.A.C.P.
Director, NCRR
NCRR Guiding Principles
Foster the translation of basic science findings to human studies and clinical research advances to patients and communities.
Provide new opportunities for community engagement.
Encourage innovation for the creation of novel and cutting-edge technologies, animal models, and research tools.
Develop flexible and diverse resources that can readily respond to unanticipated research opportunities.
Support biomedically important resources that are unlikely to be supported by other federal agencies or private-sector organizations.
Employ shared and accessible resources that effectively leverage federal dollars.
Encourage investigators from diverse disciplines to train in multidisciplinary settings.