Council of Councils Working Group on Fostering Transformative Biomedical Research

One of the key goals of NIH is to foster creative discoveries, innovative research strategies, and their applications as a basis for ultimately protecting and improving human health. Achieving this goal requires multifaceted approaches, including identifying and supporting research that has the potential to transform current biomedical paradigms and open new pathways for diagnosis, disease prevention, and treatment. This research often includes creative approaches and substantial breakthroughs that challenge and transform established norms. Innovations frequently arise not from the “center” of established activities but from novel ideas on the edges or intersections of disciplines.  

Transformative research inherently involves a level of risk and uncertainty but also has potential for exceptionally high impact and major breakthroughs. As a result, scientific research can benefit from bold initiatives that allow for increased innovation and experimentation, which can lead to groundbreaking discoveries, address challenging questions, and catalyze scientific progress. NIH has several such initiatives, including the Common Fund’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research Program, that encourage creative, outside-the-box thinkers to pursue bold and innovative ideas within the NIH mission. There is opportunity for the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI) to build on the success of existing programs and explore additional ways to advance novel approaches and outcomes for human health benefits, working in partnership with various NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices.   

As outlined in the Bold Predictions section of the NIH-wide Strategic Plan for FY21-FY25, there is a need for NIH to identify strategies for accelerating innovation more rapidly and efficiently than ever before. Therefore, it is timely to consider how to best foster transformative and innovative biomedical research within DPCPSI, including defining ways that the division can lead in this area within the larger context of the NIH portfolio and the evolving funding landscape.

The charge of the Fostering Transformative Biomedical Research Working Group of the Council of Councils is to assess existing approaches to support transformative research across NIH and to present a final report to the Council of Councils including recommendations on how to strengthen existing and future DPCPSI-led, efforts in this area.

Specifically, the charge for the Working Group will be to: 

• Review strengths and limitations of current NIH efforts to support innovative and transformative research. This should include, but not be limited to, the CF HRHR program;
• Identify exemplars of funding transformational research, occurring both within and outside of NIH, and highlight key lessons for future success;
• Identify barriers to transformative and innovative research under current NIH funding mechanisms and explore options for alternative approaches;
• Provide recommendations on future opportunities for DPCPSI to lead or catalyze efforts in this space, with consideration to topics such as:
  • Portfolio balance for HR/HR efforts within DPCPSI
  • Opportunities for broadening participation and inclusion of varied scientific communities in transformative research and HR/HR programs
  • Transformative research needs and opportunities across scientific disciplines and across the translational science spectrum
  • Role of DPCPSI support of transformative and innovative research and HR/HR programs in the context of activities at NIH and the larger biomedical funding ecosystem 

Co-Chairs

Maryellen L. Giger, PhD 
A.N. Pritzker Distinguished Service Professor of Radiology 
Professor and Chair, Department of Ophthalmology
Committee on Medical Physics 
The University of Chicago

Ananda L. Roy, PhD
Assistant Director, Transformational Science & Discovery 
Office of Strategic Coordination—The Common Fund 
Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives
Office of the Director
National Institutes of Health

Executive Secretary

Eva Tonsing-Carter, PhD 
Senior Advisor, Office of Strategic Coordination—The Common Fund
Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives 
Office of the Director
National Institutes of Health

Members