Five-year plan addresses women’s health, pregnancy, child and adolescent health, and more
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) has released its 2025 strategic plan. The new five-year plan retains the original research goals published in its 2020 plan but offers updated strategies for achieving them. These strategies reflect progress in the scientific landscape and new opportunities for scientific discovery, such as advances in computational biology, artificial intelligence, advanced imaging techniques, pharmacogenomics, bioinformatics, and other methods.
“Our 2025 Strategic Plan offers a fresh look at the institute’s research objectives, goals, and aspirations,” said NICHD Director Diana W. Bianchi, M.D. “Although we cannot anticipate all the challenges the future will bring, we believe that this plan provides a solid foundation for advancing health and quality of life for all Americans through research and research training.”
The institute’s strategic research priorities are presented under five broad goals:
- Understanding the Molecular, Cellular, and Structural Basis of Development
- Advancing Gynecologic, Andrologic, and Reproductive Health
- Setting the Foundation for Healthy Pregnancies and Lifelong Wellness
- Improving Child and Adolescent Health and the Transition to Adulthood
- Fostering Safe and Effective Therapeutics and Devices for Pregnant Women, Lactating Women, Children, and People with Disabilities
The plan’s cross-cutting themes include reducing health disparities, reducing the impact of infectious disease, understanding the role of nutrition in promoting health throughout the lifespan, advancing global health, applying artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies across biomedical fields, and providing training and career development for the next generation of researchers. The plan’s aspirational goals—intended to serve as calls to action for the scientific community—address a variety of topics, including neurologic impairment, limb loss, endometriosis, maternal mortality, stillbirth, and preterm birth.
Since its founding in 1962, NICHD has advanced gynecologic health, maternal health, child health, and human growth and development. The 2025 strategic plan is the result of an institute-wide process that included close consultation with the external scientific community to identify priorities reflecting the scientific landscape.
To learn more, access the 2025 NICHD Strategic Plan at https://www.nichd.nih.gov/about/org/strategicplan.
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