For Fiscal Year 2026

To plan for new Common Fund programs beginning in fiscal year 2026 or beyond, the Common Fund has issued a public Request for Information (NOT-RM-23-013: NIH Common Fund is Soliciting Ideas for NIH-wide Challenges and Opportunities(link is external)). This Request for Information seeks ideas for biomedical and behavioral research challenges and opportunities that have NIH-wide relevance and may be of interest to the Common Fund. Ideas gathered through this process may inform activities to address these challenges/opportunities, such as scientific workshops, pilot initiatives, and/or future Common Fund programs. 

Additionally, NIH Institute, Center, and Office Directors are invited to submit their ideas for potential new Common Fund programs. They will also consider ideas submitted through the Request for Information as they develop their ideas. 

In early 2024, ideas emerging from the planning process will be discussed with and prioritized by NIH Institute, Center, and Office Directors. Additional updates about the status of the planning process will be provided on this page as they become available. 

For Fiscal Year 2025

To plan for new Common Fund programs to begin in fiscal year 2025 or beyond, the Common Fund solicited ideas through a public Request for Information (NOT-RM-22-016: Request for Information - Soliciting ideas for new Common Fund programs). Additionally, NIH Institute and Center Directors were invited to develop new program ideas. Ideas gathered through these activities were prioritized and discussed at a Common Fund retreat with NIH Institute and Center Directors in March 2023. Informed by input from NIH Institute and Center Directors, the NIH Director selected one idea for further development:

• A potential new program to catalyze the development, standardization, validation, and use of new methods and approaches that will more accurately model human biology. We anticipate these new methods and approaches would complement or, in some cases, replace traditional models, transforming the way we do basic, translational, and clinical sciences.

This concept is still in development, and the scope and direction are subject to change. More information about this concept will be posted as it becomes available. 

For Fiscal Year 2024

To plan for new Common Fund programs to begin in fiscal year 2024 or beyond, OSC hosted small group brainstorming sessions with NIH Institute, Center, and Office Directors in the fall of 2021, and invited the NIH community to submit their ideas via a crowdsourcing online platform, thereby leveraging the collective expertise across NIH. Ideas generated through this process were prioritized by NIH leadership. The new Common Fund program currently being pursued from this process is:

• Human Virome Program: to characterize the human virome to yield greater understanding of the viruses we harbor and their impact on human health. This program concept was cleared by the DPCPSI Council of Councils in September 2022 (view the presentation). 

Launch of the Human Virome Program is planned for fiscal year 2024, pending availability of funds.