Basic research initiatives are now rapidly translated into clinical application.
The 17 new, multidisciplinary centers will receive a total of $680 million over 11 years for basic research, technology transfer initiatives, and outreach in a variety of fields including drug discovery and the social science of violence.
The Personal Genome Project is an initiative in basic research, not personal discovery.
As Science magazine reported in March 2006 (subscription required), the plan specifies 16 major initiatives, including basic research projects in protein science, quantum physics, nanotechnology, and developmental and reproductive science.
They must have a "national nanotechnology initiative" to support basic research and an "implementation plan" to assess their strategic investment in nanotechnology.
Not surprisingly, many researchers and patient groups watching the new initiative say funding for basic research that identifies new drug targets is a key issue.
"We're pleased that the Defense Secretary has continued into the new Administration his initiative to strengthen DOD-sponsored basic research," says Matt Owens of the Association of American Universities.
Michael Huerta, associate director of the National Institute of Mental Health, was instrumental in starting, in 1993, the Human Brain Project (HBP), a large-scale, multi-institute initiative that combined informatics with basic research and clinical studies in neuroscience.
Research Corporation for Science Advancement's latest initiative, Scialog, combines all three concepts: basic research, a high-risk high-reward approach, and the potential for commercial applications.
She is founder and co-director of the BrainGut Initiative at Columbia University Medical Center, which is translating basic research findings into testable biological treatments that will help repair or prevent childhood developmental disorders and restore physical and emotional homeostasis.
