NIH Council of Councils Discusses Emerging Priorities

By: CJ Neely
Thursday, May 28, 2026
The May 14–15 NIH Council of Councils meeting highlighted several themes shaping NIH priorities, including chronic disease prevention, rigor and reproducibility, implementation-oriented science, and shared research infrastructure. The NIH Council of Councils advises NIH leadership on trans-NIH initiatives and Common Fund programs that cut across Institutes and Centers, often providing an early view into emerging strategic priorities and coordinated research investments. Discussions throughout the meeting emphasized cross-NIH coordination, shared data ecosystems, and approaches intended to strengthen the translation and reliability of biomedical research.

A major discussion focused on the revised NIH Common Fund concept R3PEATS (Rigor, Replicability, and Reproducibility to Promote Excellence, Accuracy, and Translation in Science), a proposed initiative intended to strengthen rigor and reproducibility across biomedical research. Proposed components include replication centers, metascience testbeds, and coordination infrastructure. Revised elements included new “Rigor Scholar Awards,” Innovation Awards, and greater emphasis on culture change and incentives. Council discussion focused heavily on feasibility, implementation, measurable outcomes, and whether the initiative could drive meaningful culture change across the research enterprise. The Council ultimately voted to defer the proposal pending additional refinement and clarification.

Council members also reviewed UPF-IMPACT (Ultra-Processed Foods: Investigating Mechanisms, Prevention, and Action for Chronic Disease and Health Transformation), a revised Common Fund concept focused on understanding how ultra-processed foods contribute to chronic disease and identifying scalable interventions to improve health outcomes. The initiative includes mechanistic studies, intervention research, and a centralized coordinating center intended to harmonize data, measures, biospecimens, and infrastructure across participating sites. Presenters highlighted several revisions made in response to earlier Council feedback, including the removal of industry partnership components. Council members discussed the challenges of disentangling food processing from broader nutritional and behavioral factors, and the concept was ultimately approved with modifications.

During his Director’s Update, Jay Bhattacharya outlined a broader vision for “gold standard science” centered on chronic disease prevention, longevity research, research rigor and reproducibility, and support for bold or high-risk science. Discussion repeatedly returned to concerns about incremental research, lack of replication, concentration of funding across institutions, and barriers facing early-career investigators. Bhattacharya also emphasized NIH’s broader Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) strategy, framing chronic disease prevention as a cross-NIH priority spanning nutrition, physical activity, environmental exposures, mental health, and real-world data infrastructure.

Additional sessions highlighted NIH’s continued emphasis on shared research infrastructure, institutional capacity building, and coordinated data resources. Updates included ORIP’s S10 Shared Instrumentation and C06 Construction Grant programs, nationwide infrastructure access initiatives, and continued expansion of the ECHO and All of Us programs as major longitudinal research and data resources supporting cross-NIH collaboration and translational science efforts.

Meeting information and agenda materials are available through the NIH Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI) website.