Although OPASI will not have grant-making authority, OPASI will provide an “incubator space” for trans-NIH initiatives, and support priority projects on a time-limited basis (5 to 10 years). This turnover will ensure that sufficient funds are available for continuous development of new, trans-NIH efforts. Support will come from pooled resources (the Common Fund).

On a regular basis, OPASI will carry out its mission by managing the process by which trans-NIH initiatives are prioritized for consideration and evaluation by both outside advisors and NIH leadership. The Division of Strategic Coordination will coordinate the collection of information, analyze recommendations from a variety of sources (see below), and map potential initiatives against available resources.

Strategic initiatives will be developed based on the following inputs:

• Advice and recommendations from panels of scientific experts and other relevant constituencies (Roadmap-like process);
• Data and analyses from the Division of Resource Development and Analysis;
• Data and analyses from the Division of Evaluation and Systematic Assessments;
• Areas identified by the IC Directors as worthy of cross-cutting support;
• Areas identified by the OD Program Offices as worthy of cross-cutting support; and
• Advice and recommendations from stakeholders (e.g., Congress, scientific advocacy groups, patient advocacy organizations).

Specifically, the process for developing, reviewing, and approving trans-NIH initiatives will involve the components described below (see flow chart on right).

After receiving input from multiple sources, OPASI staff will develop a list of potential trans-NIH initiatives for initial consideration by the OPASI Director, the IC Directors, and an external advisory panel, the Council of Councils. The information provided by OPASI staff for this “concept approval” review could include deliverables, timetables, and projected costs for each initiative.

In preparing the list of initiatives for review, OPASI staff will be guided by a set of rigorous, pre-defined criteria. Initiatives that do not meet them (“non-responsive”), but show particular promise, may be brought to the attention of the relevant ICs for potential follow-up.

Ultimately, the “concept approval” review described above – which is intended to be an interactive process with the OPASI Director, IC Directors, and Council of Councils – will lead to a prioritized list of trans-NIH initiatives to be further developed by OPASI staff. This would include the development of a detailed business plan for each initiative.

The shorter, but more detailed, list of potential initiatives will then be reviewed by all the IC Directors, who will make preliminary funding recommendations to the NIH Director.

The NIH Director will then ask the ACD for their funding recommendations. The final selections will be made by the NIH Director.

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