OBSSR’s approach to priority setting involves engaging partners at various levels to gather feedback and ensure alignment with our mission and vision. This process emphasizes collaboration and transparency, incorporating diverse perspectives from a variety of partners. By fostering open dialogue with multiple internal and external groups, we can identify priorities that reflect the most pressing needs and opportunities within the BSSR arena.
To develop the current strategic plan, OBSSR took a multipronged approach over a period of three years, with the initial goal of assessing activities conducted during the previous five years. We aimed to identify important new areas for growth and discern where adjustments in focus or intensity could better support the future of BSSR at NIH. Recurrent themes were identified to inform priorities and objectives for the future. OBSSR used a mixed-methods approach to inform, adapt, and modernize its scientific priorities for this strategic plan.
- Assessed Progress and Future Directions: OBSSR conducted an assessment of the OBSSR Strategic Plan 2017–2021 to document our accomplishments and identify future directions and frameworks. This involved aligning key activities and outputs with strategic objectives to assess how effectively each objective was addressed and to identify any existing gaps. Through this systematic approach, OBSSR also evaluated which objectives and strategies were most effective in fulfilling our mission.
- Gathered Input from the Research Community and Other Key Constituents: We issued two Requests for Information, reaching out to both the extramural research community and other external collaborators to identify research priorities and opportunities in the field and gather feedback on the proposed priorities and objectives for this strategic plan. This feedback informed OBSSR’s review of our current strategic plan and aided in refining our specific objectives and strategies moving forward.
- Collected Feedback from Federal Partners
- Listening Sessions with NIH Staff and Leadership: We conducted a series of listening sessions with key BSSR-related staff and leadership at NIH to identify ICO priorities, shared interests, alignment with OBSSR, and unmet needs related to BSSR.
- Input from the NIH Council of Councils: Two Council of Councils working groups developed reports addressing BSSR at NIH, namely the Trans-NIH Research Opportunities in the Basic Behavioral and Social Sciences: National Institutes of Health Council of Councils Working Group Report and the Integration of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH Council of Councils Working Group Report. Recommendations from these reports helped inform priority areas and crosscutting themes for this strategic plan.
- Refined Priorities and Projects: OBSSR used the feedback from the activities listed above to refine our strategic priorities and objectives. This inclusive approach enabled us to gather diverse perspectives and insights, ensuring our strategic priorities closely align with the needs of the research community. Ultimately, this feedback informed the development of the final version of the 2025–2029 Strategic Plan, which serves as an overview of OBSSR’s priorities for the next five years.
