The NIH Blueprint seeks feedback from the scientific community about how to best continue to support neuroscience research over the next 10 years.
The goal of understanding the human brain in both health and disease presents a set of challenges too vast for any one NIH Institute or Center (IC) to pursue alone. In an attempt to accelerate the pace of discovery by pooling ideas and resources, the NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research was established in 2004 to bring together 15 NIH ICs involved in studying the nervous system.
Over the past 10 years, the Blueprint has supported the development of a wide variety of tools, resources, and training opportunities that benefit the broad neuroscience community. Recently, it has focused on supporting a few key grand challenges, such as the Human Connectome project. It has also provided substantial and crucial funds for the NIH BRAIN Initiative.
Looking forward to the next 10 years, the 15 participating NIH ICs that support Blueprint recently published a Request for Information (RFI) to seek input from the scientific community on how the Blueprint might best continue to support research on the nervous system. Responses will be accepted through May 25, 2015.
What major opportunities and impediments to advancing neuroscience research are not currently being addressed? How should we train the next generation of neuroscientists? How can we increase diversity in the neuroscience workforce? What major neuroethics challenges need to be addressed? If you have thoughts on any of these (or other) topics, follow this link to submit your input.
For more information about the RFI and to read highlights of Blueprint activities and resources, please see this NINDS blog post.