Related Information

Blueprint for Change.
 

Learn More

 

Mission Statement

Read More

 

Our Voice


Learn More

 

 

Stay connected. Sign up now to be informed of the latest FasterCures blogs,events and program updates.

 

NIH Intramural Research Program

The Intramural Research Program (IRP) consumes nearly 10 percent of the budget of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The IRP has a highly regarded history of discovery but today lacks a clearly defined mission within the overall NIH effort.

FasterCures convened a task force headed by Nobel Laureate Dr. David Baltimore to recommend to the new Administration a framework within which to refresh the Intramural Research Program, giving it a distinct mission and identity in the service of improving public health. This mission is three-fold:
  • to focus on outcomes-focused research, especially work that utilizes the unique capabilities of the NIH Clinical Center;
  • to be prepared to respond expeditiously to new scientific opportunities and challenges; and
  • to focus on high-risk, long-term basic research goals that would be difficult to pursue in the extramural research environment.
In the coming years, the American public and policymakers will be focused on reforming our healthcare system, and rightly so. But at the same time, we must nurture our healthcure system. Only if we translate promising scientific research into new therapies and acquire a better understanding of how to prevent and treat disease will we have any hope of reducing healthcare costs, productivity losses, and human suffering. To advance human health at a time of constrained federal budgets, we must increase the effectiveness of our investment in medical research and maximize the impact of the almost $3 billion investment we make every year in the NIH Intramural Research Program. 

Read a summary of the recommendations.
Download a copy of the full report.