percent (1.6 percent in 2007) of total NIH funding—was established in 2004 and is now a statutory requirement, with its own line-item funding. The earlier IOM committee also recommended that the NIH director have a Special Projects Program, independent of the budgets of the individual NIH institutes and centers, to support initiation of high-risk, innovative research. NIH has now established a Director’s Pioneer Award Program and a Director’s New Innovator Award for purposes similar to those the committee envisioned (IOM, 2003; NIH, 2008a, 2008b).

7. Congress should establish a new, strategic initiative fund to enable the secretary to support cross-agency and cross-departmental activities that exhibit innovation in responding to twenty-first century challenges, and to respond quickly to new, unforeseen, or expanding public health threats.

FDA (Food and Drug Administration). 2008. Congressional testimony. http://www.fda.gov/ola/listing.html (accessed October 8, 2008).

FDA Subcommittee on Science and Technology. 2008. FDA science and mission at risk. Washington, DC: FDA Science Board.

GAO (Government Accountability Office). 2003. Executive reorganization authority: Balancing executive and congressional roles in shaping the federal government’s structure. Washington, DC: GAO.

HHS (Department of Health and Human Services). 2000. Healthy people 2010. Washington, DC: HHS.

HHS. 2007. Strategic plan, 2007-2012. Washington, DC: HHS.

HHS. 2008a. 500-day plan information. http://www.hhs.gov/500DayPlan/ (accessed October 27, 2008).

HHS. 2008b. President’s management agenda (PMA). http://www.hhs.gov/pma/ (accessed November 12, 2008).

IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2003. Enhancing the vitality of the National Institutes of Health: Organizational change to meet new challenges. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Ix, M. 2007. Advancing public health systems research: Research priorities and gaps. Washington, DC: AcademyHealth.