Last week the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) issued a new Strategic Plan for Research, updating the strategic objectives of its 2008 predecessor with the aim of balancing the need for long-term investments in basic research with urgent mental health needs. The new NIMH plan comprises four strategic objectives:
1. Define the mechanisms of complex behaviors.
2. Chart mental illness trajectories to determine when, where, and how to intervene.
3. Strive for prevention and cures.
4. Strengthen the public health impact of NIMH-supported research.
These four objectives form a broad roadmap for the institute’s research priorities over the next five years, beginning with the fundamental science of the brain and behavior, and ending with public health impact. The overall funding strategy is to pursue long-term objectives by supporting investigator-initiated proposals based on scientific opportunities, while using targeted funding announcements to address near-term goals.
Read the plan on the NIMH website: NIMH Strategic Plan for Research
