Notice Number: NOT-DC-20-001
Key Dates
Release Date: January 28, 2020
Response Date: March 31, 2020
None
Issued by
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Purpose
The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) is establishing a new Strategic Plan for 2022-2026 to help guide the research it supports over the next five years. Through this Request for Information (RFI), NIDCD invites researchers in academia and industry, health care professionals, patient advocates and health advocacy organizations, scientific or professional organizations, federal agencies, and other interested members of the public to provide ideas to inform development of NIDCD’s next strategic plan. This Notice is time sensitive to solicit feedback on research needs, opportunities, and areas of emphasis for research in hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice speech and language over the next five years.
Background
Established in 1988, the NIDCD is mandated to conduct and support biomedical and behavioral research and research training in the normal and disordered processes of hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice, speech, and language. The institute also conducts and supports research and research training related to disease prevention and health promotion; addresses special biomedical and behavioral problems associated with people who have communication impairments or disorders; and supports efforts to create devices that assist individuals with hearing loss or other communication disorders.
It is estimated that more than 46 million people in the United States have a disorder affecting their hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice, speech, or language. The NIDCD has focused national attention on these areas, with the goal of improving the lives of millions of individuals. The NIDCD has made important contributions to the body of knowledge needed to help those with hearing loss and other communication disorders and to advance research in these areas.
This Notice is in accordance with the 21st Century Cures Act that requires all NIH institutes to update their strategic plans regularly. NIDCD’s mission is to improve the lives of millions of people with hearing loss and other communication disorders, spanning the functions of hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice, speech and language. Our vision is that all those with disorders in these areas benefit from scientific discovery that informs effective and accessible treatments and improves quality of life.
Information Requested
NIDCD invites the scientific research community, health professionals, patient advocates, professional societies, federal agencies, and the general public to provide input regarding:
- The most significant scientific discoveries in hearing and balance, taste and smell, and voice, speech, and language that have occurred in the past five years. (Please provide references to scientific journal articles, if applicable.)
- The unmet needs in current research and training that may impact hearing and balance, taste and smell, and voice, speech, and language.
- The opportunities in hearing and balance, taste and smell, and voice, speech and language that may be realized in the next five years.
- The greatest challenges or barriers to progress in hearing and balance, taste and smell, and voice, speech, and language.
- The greatest public health need of individuals with disorders of hearing and balance, taste and smell, or voice speech and language that may be helped with additional research.
Responses
Responses to this RFI are voluntary and are meant for information and planning purposes only. Any information submitted in response to this RFI shall not be construed as a solicitation, grant application, cooperative agreement, or obligation on part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), or the United States Federal Government. Do not include any proprietary, classified, or sensitive information.
Please respond by March 31, 2020 using the following form: https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/about/strategic-plan/2022-2026/2022-2026-nidcd-strategic-planning-process NIDCD will also accept submissions via email (NIDCDStrategicPlan@nidcd.nih.gov).
Inquiries
Please direct all inquiries to:
Name: Laura K. Cole, Ph.D.
IC Name: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Telephone: 301-402-2313
Email: colel@nidcd.nih.gov
and Human Services (HHS)
