NIH Mission
NIH’s mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature
and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge
to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce the burdens of illness
and disability.
The goals of the agency are:
- to foster fundamental creative discoveries, innovative research
strategies, and their applications as a basis for ultimately
protecting and improving health;
- to develop, maintain, and renew scientific human and physical
resources that will ensure the Nation's capability to prevent
disease;
- to expand the knowledge base in medical and associated sciences
in order to enhance the Nation's economic well-being and ensure
a continued high return on the public investment in research;
and
- to exemplify and promote the highest level of scientific integrity,
public accountability, and social responsibility in the conduct
of science.
In realizing these goals, the NIH provides leadership and direction
to programs designed to improve the health of the Nation by conducting
and supporting research:
- in the causes, diagnosis, prevention, and cure of human diseases;
- in the processes of human growth and development;
- in the biological effects of environmental contaminants;
- in the understanding of mental, addictive and physical disorders;
and
- in directing programs for the collection, dissemination, and
exchange of information in medicine and health, including the
development and support of medical libraries and the training
of medical librarians and other health information specialists.
This page was last reviewed on
May 18, 2010
.