The National Advisory Child Health and Human Development (NACHHD) Council convened on September 4-5, 2024, for its fall meeting. This meeting brought together experts and leaders in child and maternal health to discuss strategic initiatives, research advancements, and policy updates that will shape the future of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
[Review the NICHD AC Agenda] [Watch the recorded Videocast]
Key Updates on FY25 Appropriations: Dr. Diana Bianchi, Director of NICHD, opened with the NICHD Director’s Report on FY25 appropriations bills and outlined budget increases proposed for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Senate bill includes critical funding boosts for the NICHD, proposing a budget of $50.3 billion, an increase over the FY24 budget. Notably, the House bill suggests reorganizing the NIH by merging NICHD with the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) to form the National Institute for Disability Related Research. Dr. Bianchi also highlighted NICHD’s continued lead in pediatric research, with new studies focused on injury prevention, mood disorders, and developmental challenges in children and adolescents.
Of particular interest to FABBS members, Noni Byrnes, Ph.D., director of the NIH Center for Scientific Review (CSR), provided an update on significant changes to the peer review process for Research Project Grants (RPGs) and Individual Fellowships, effective January 2025. These changes will streamline the review process by focusing on key factors such as research importance, feasibility, and available resources, while addressing institutional bias. For fellowships, the review will emphasize candidate potential and the quality of the research training plan. These updates are part of CSR’s broader efforts to enhance fairness and rigor in NIH peer reviews, ensuring the most promising research is supported.
Stéphane Philogene, Ph.D, director of the Office of Science Policy, Reporting, and Analysis (OSPRA) gave an update on the NICHD Strategic Plan Refresh for 2025. This update to the 2020-2024 Strategic Plan, aims to realign research objectives with current scientific and societal needs, focusing on children, pregnancy and perinatology, and the development of safe and effective therapeutics for vulnerable populations. As part of this refresh, NICHD has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to gather feedback on its Strategic Plan 2025. The RFI response deadline is September 27. NICHD plans to release its Strategic Plan 2025 early next year.
In the past, FABBS responded to the NICHD Strategic Plan 2020-2024 RFI, and we will respond to this one as well.
