By Allison Lea

In March, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Director Story Landis, PhD, posted an analysis by the Institute that showed a sharp decline in NINDS funding of fundamental basic research studies between 1997 and 2012. While contributing factors of this decline are still unclear, the analysis also found a decreasing number of grant applications submitted by investigators for basic research.

In a message from the Director on the NINDS homepage, Dr. Landis expressed her concern over this decline and addressed the need for a balanced portfolio of basic and disease-focused research. “Fundamental research is not funded in any substantial way by other sources [beyond the federal government], and a lack of basic knowledge can stand in the way of progress across all of neuroscience,” she noted. She further went on to say that “if the recent decline continues unabated, in 10 years or so, we might not have any fundamental basic research left in [the NINDS] portfolio.”

Dr. Landis concluded that “the most effective strategy for advancing scientific knowledge and translating that knowledge into therapies that benefit patients is to maintain a robust and balanced pipeline across the research spectrum – from fundamental basic research to large phase III clinical trials.” To facilitate that balance, NINDS recently revised its mission statement to recognize the critical role of fundamental research. Dr. Landis called upon the extramural community to provide suggestions about how NINDS can work towards a more balanced portfolio.

Percentages of the NINDS competing budget in the four subcategories. Image created and published by NINDS as a part of its March 27 blog, “Back to Basics: A call for fundamental neuroscience research.”