The US-based National Institute of Health (NIH), the world’s largest medical research centre with a budget of $29.2 billion, fosters relationships with research institutes all over the world, including in India. In an e-mail interview with BW’s Gina S. Krishnan as a precursor to his visit to New Delhi, Elias A. Zerhouni, director of NIH, held forth on a wide array of issues. Excerpts:

What are NIH’s priorities?
We investigate the causes, treatments and preventive strategies for both common and rare diseases. It could lead us into important medical discoveries to improve people’s health and even save lives. The NIH Roadmap for Medical Research, a vision we formed in 2003, focuses the attention of biomedical research on new pathways of discovery, on the research teams for the future and on the re-engineering of the clinical research enterprise. It aims to accelerate the pace of discovery and quicken the application of new knowledge on the development of new prevention strategies, new diagnostics and new treatments. We wish that ultimately it would help deliver the innovations to the healthcare providers and the public. In 2005, the NIH launched the Office of Portfolio Analysis and Strategic Initiatives (OPASI) to transform the way we find and fund cutting-edge research. It also aims to improve our ability to identify public health challenges and increase trans-NIH dialogue, improve decision-making and priority-setting. OPASI will provide an ‘incubator space’ to jump-start trans-NIH initiatives and support international collaborations that will take the lead on priority projects on a time-limited basis within five to 10 years. More than 83 per cent of the NIH’s funding goes out in the form of 50,000 competitive grants and awards to over 325,000 scientists and support staff at over 3,000 universities, medical schools, and other research institutions in the US and around the world.

How productive is the current research relationship between India and the US?
We have a longstanding and productive relationship with many of India’s leading biomedical and behavioural research institutions. This relationship has been a true partnership in which each side has combined efforts, resources and talent in developing new scientific knowledge with global significance. The NIH collaborates with India through the support for investigator-initiated grants, bilateral joint working groups established under Indo-US agreements, targeted workshops, research training activities, and positioning of an NIH official in New Delhi to support clinical research activities. The NIH supports approximately 150 peer-reviewed research collaborations involving India, which is a marked increase from previous years.