Request for Information: Input into the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Strategic Planning Process

Notice Number: NOT-NS-19-079

Key Dates
Release Date: July 31, 2019
Response Date: October 01, 2019

Related Announcements
NOT-NS-20-010

Issued by
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Purpose

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is embarking on an institute-wide strategic planning process. The goal of the process is to tune our practices and policies to our vision and mission, in order to better serve and anticipate the needs of the research and patient communities and the public. The mission of NINDS is to seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease. Based on this mission, NINDS has formulated broad Strategic Goals as a starting point for the planning process:

Strategic Goals

  • Be a model of excellence for supporting and performing paradigm-changing, innovative, and rigorous neuroscience research.
  • Be a model of excellence for funding and conducting neuroscience research training and career development programs and ensuring a vibrant, talented, and diverse neuroscience work force.
  • Promote the timely dissemination of accurate and rigorous information about scientific discoveries and their implications for neurological health.
  • Create and sustain a supportive work culture for the NINDS work force and facilitate and reward analogous efforts in the outside neuroscience community.

The purpose of this time-sensitive RFI is to solicit input on concrete means to accomplish these strategic goals over the next 5-10 years. NINDS will use responses collected as part of this RFI to inform the planning process, to help identify relevant experts and stakeholders, and to formulate and prioritize objectives and action plans for achieving each Strategic Goal. The resulting NINDS-wide Strategic Plan will be posted in draft form for additional public comment before implementation.

Information Requested:

NINDS invites input from stakeholders, experts, communities, and members of the public, including but not limited to researchers and trainees across academia, industry, and government; health care providers and health advocacy organizations; nongovernmental, scientific and professional organizations; and federal agencies.

For any or all of the Strategic Goals stated above, please provide your perspective or expertise on any of the following points:

  • Opportunities for, and challenges facing, progress in neuroscience research and neurological health
  • Emerging scientific or organizational trends, advances, techniques, and perspectives NINDS should account for in this planning process
  • Recommendations for steps, actions, activities, and opportunities that will enable NINDS to make rapid progress toward achieving each goal
  • For recommendations you make, please consider indicating appropriate objective success criteria, including quantitative and qualitative benchmarks and milestones for gauging progress in the corresponding domain
  • Successes, shortcomings, and impacts of existing NINDS policies, practices, partnerships, strategies, or activities
  • Stakeholders and experts NINDS should consult in the process of strategic planning and strategy implementation
  • High-priority objectives that you do not see reflected among the four stated strategic planning goals
  • Any other topic that you find relevant to the development of the NINDS institute-wide strategic plan

The input you provide will be made available to the committees and taskforces charged with carrying out the planning and implementation processes for NINDS.

Optional: Please indicate if you are a primary investigator, trainee, researcher, health care provider, patient advocate, science administrator, or other interested party. If you are submitting a response on behalf of an organization or membership as a whole, please indicate the name of your organization. Organizations are strongly encouraged to submit a single response that reflects the views of their organization and membership as a whole.

How to Submit a Response

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically using the web-based form found here: https://www.ninds.nih.gov/NOT-NS-19-079.

To ensure full consideration, your responses must be received by 10/1/2019.

Responses to this RFI are voluntary. Do not include any proprietary, classified, confidential, trade secret, or sensitive information in your response. The responses will be reviewed by NIH staff, and individual feedback will not be provided to any responder. The U.S. Government will use the information submitted in response to this RFI at its discretion.

This RFI is for information and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation, grant, or cooperative agreement, or as an obligation on the part of the Federal Government, the NIH, or individual NIH Institutes and Centers to provide support for any ideas identified in response to it. The Government will not pay for the preparation of any information submitted or for the U.S. Government’s use of such information. No basis for claims against the U.S. Government shall arise as a result of a response to this request for information or from the Government’s use of such information. The provided information will be analyzed and may appear, in summary form, removing personally identifying or sensitive information, in reports or other publicly accessible resources.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

NINDS Strategic Planning
Email: NINDSStrategicPlan@nih.gov