January 12, 2022
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH)
Please refer to the document linked here for the Draft NIH Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity Strategic Plan for FYs 2022-2026: https://diversity.nih.gov/sites/coswd/files/images/FY22-26COSWDStrategicPlan508Revised-2.pdf
The Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity team (hereafter COSWD) is structured within the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an operating division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and is part of the NIH Office of the Director. The COSWD reports directly to the NIH Director. The COSWD’s central organizational position aligns with its NIH-wide mission to be the agency’s thought leader in the science of scientific workforce diversity, using evidence-based approaches to catalyze cultures of inclusive excellence. As these cultures of inclusive excellence mature, the COSWD ultimately aims to enable NIH and NIH-funded institutions to benefit from a full range of talent, fostering creativity and innovation in science.
The purpose of the COSWD Strategic Plan for FYs 2022-2026 is to communicate how the COSWD will advance its mission to be the agency’s thought leader in the science of scientific workforce diversity, using evidence-based approaches to catalyze cultures of inclusive excellence. The previous COSWD Strategic Plan covered FYs 2016-2020. The present Draft COSWD Strategic Plan for FYs 2022-2026 (Draft COSWD Strategic Plan) was developed by the COSWD, together with guidance and feedback from key stakeholders and advisors. The COSWD anticipates releasing it in spring 2022.
The Draft COSWD Strategic Plan describes its three goals to build, disseminate, and act on the evidence to advance scientific workforce diversity and corresponding objectives and tactics to achieve each of these goals. The Draft COSWD Strategic Plan also articulates how the COSWD will leverage three cross-cutting strategies collaborations, accountability, and evaluation to pursue its efforts across all three goals.
Request for Comments
This RFI invites input from scientists and scientific leaders; other scientific professionals; diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) researchers and practitioners at universities, scientific or biomedical organizations, and other research institutions; and professional scientific associations or societies. Other interested members of the public are also invited to respond.
The COSWD seeks your perspective on any or all of, but not limited to, the following topics as they relate to the COSWD Strategic Plan for FYs 2022-2026:
- Three key goals build, disseminate, and act on the evidence to advance scientific workforce diversity including benefits, challenges, or alternative or additional goals for consideration.
- Objectives to support each of the three goals, including benefits, challenges, or alternative or additional objectives that may be considered to achieve the stated goals.
- Cross-cutting strategies collaborations, accountability, and evaluation to be leveraged to pursue the goals, including benefits, challenges, or alternative or additional strategies that may be considered.
- General comments, including those that would help inform how the COSWD may direct efforts to achieve its mission over the next five years.
How to Submit a Response
Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to the NIH Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity Office at: COSWDStrategicPlan@nih.gov
Responses must be received by 11:59:59 pm (ET) on February 10, 2022.
Responses to this RFI are voluntary. Please do not include any personally identifiable information or any information that you do not wish to make public. Proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should not be included in your response. The Government will use the information submitted in response to this RFI at its discretion. The Government reserves the right to use any submitted information on public websites, in reports, in summaries of the state of the science, in any possible resultant solicitation(s), grant(s), or cooperative agreement(s), or in the development of future funding opportunity announcements.
This RFI is for informational and planning purposes only and is not a solicitation for applications or an obligation on the part of the Government to provide support for any ideas identified in response to it. Please note that the Government will not pay for the preparation of any information submitted or for use of that information.
We look forward to your input.
Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to the NIH Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity Office at: COSWDStrategicPlan@nih.gov
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