NIGMS Rolls Out Strategic Plan

NIH's National Institute of General Medical Sciences released its new strategic plan, "Investing in Discovery," which will guide decision-making by the institute for the next five years. "This plan articulates our core principles and shows how we will make strategic investments to maximize the benefits of the public funds entrusted to us," NIGMS Director Jeremy M. Berg says. The plan states that investigator-initiated research will be the main focus of NIGMS's portfolio. The institute will coordinate research programs to address biomedical problems most effectively and make special efforts to support innovative and potentially high impact projects. Maintaining a robust, stable, and diverse workforce is also part of the strategic plan. To do this, NIGMS will provide support for research training, continue to finance new investigators, and provide bridge funding for meritorious investigators facing funding gaps. The plan is available at www.nigms.nih.gov/StrategicPlan.