NIH Seeks Feedback on Next Agency-Wide Strategic Plan

By: Jennifer Zeitzer
Thursday, March 12, 2026
On March 4, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that the agency is seeking stakeholder feedback on the next Agency-Wide Strategic Plan for fiscal years (FY) 2027-2031. NIH is required to update the agency-wide strategic plan every five years as required by the 21st Century Cures Act.

The agency will hold webinars on March 16 at 12:30 pm ET and April 8 at 2:30 pm ET to gather input from the research community and members of the public on the framework that will be used to develop the new strategic plan. Registration is required for those who wish to participate in either of the webinars. Interested individuals may register for the March 16 webinar and the April 8 webinar. On March 9, NIH issued a notice that capacity had been expanded for both webinars due to high demand. Anyone who previously registered for either webinar must re-register using the new links. During the webinars, NIH leadership will introduce the process for developing the next NIH-Wide Strategic Plan, outline the high-level framework, and answer attendees’ questions.

As noted in NIH’s announcement, the Strategic Plan “outlines NIH’s vision for biomedical research direction, capacity, and stewardship, by articulating the highest priorities of NIH over the next 5 years.” It also includes examples of accomplishments that were made under the prior plan and highlights new research initiatives. Prior strategic plans were developed through a collaborative process between NIH leadership and staff across, consultation with the research community, and other key stakeholders including professional societies, advocacy groups, and the public.