The AAMC submitted May 12 comments on a proposed framework to guide the development of the next strategic plan for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for fiscal years (FY) 2027-2031. In its comments, the AAMC provides input on the three identified priority areas: research areas, research capacity, and research operations.
In its response, the AAMC emphasizes the critical role NIH plays in funding competitive awards across the research spectrum and throughout the fiscal year. The AAMC asks NIH to add to the strategic plan its commitment to assess and disseminate the impact of recent changes in funding strategy on the breadth of research funded. The AAMC also affirms its support for NIH’s broad efforts to strengthen the biomedical research workforce, noting in its response that the recruitment of talented individuals from all backgrounds into research careers remains vital to sustaining a strong biomedical research workforce. The AAMC emphasizes that, for academic careers to remain attractive, NIH must provide ample funding opportunities, including new investigator awards.
Also in its response, the AAMC highlights the importance of NIH ensuring that expert individuals are identified and appointed to serve on peer review panels for the most meritorious research projects to be funded. The AAMC also stresses the vital importance of NIH’s meaningful engagement with communities and patients who will benefit from NIH-funded science to foster transparency and accountability. Lastly, the AAMC recommends that NIH include evaluation metrics in the strategic plan to provide confidence that NIH is achieving its goals.