Goal 5: Champion Effective Stewardship of Translational Science Through Transparency, Integrity, Accountability, and Social Responsibility
Effective stewardship is key to our success and the achievement of our strategic goals. NCATS is dedicated to the innovative and responsible use of resources to advance our mission, aligning with NIH’s commitment to fostering a culture of integrity and efficiency.
At NCATS, stewardship goes beyond resource management. It means building relationships, embracing innovation, streamlining processes, and improving efficiencies to ensure successful translation. We focus on internal and external collaboration to overcome scientific, operational, and policy challenges. By working ethically and responsibly, we foster a collaborative environment with our communities. Together, we can ensure that transparency, integrity, accountability, and social responsibility drive our efforts, propelling translational science forward.
Objective 5-1: Promote translational science research, operations, and other activities in an open, shareable, and transparent manner.
Effective translation is slowed when research and research findings are not disseminated within the biomedical research and clinical care ecosystems. The lack of transparency can also erode public trust. Transparency and open science are ways to promote reproducibility, progress, trust in research, and trustworthiness of researchers.
We will expand internal and external processes for transparent priority setting, including the launch, assessment, and sunset of activities (see the Approach to Priority Setting section). We will foster an open and collaborative working environment with flexible approaches to best address and manage scientific, operational, and administrative change. We will also continue to actively partner with external organizations to promote a culture of openness, sharing, and transparency, including identifying synergies and collaborating to achieve shared missions. Our outreach and communications will be more inclusive, informative, and accessible.
Objective 5-2: Support robust, reproducible, and ethical research.
Rigor, reproducibility, and ethical approaches to designing and conducting experiments are the cornerstones of scientific research. We have provided the translational science community with guidelines and best practices in these areas, from assay development to regulatory development.
As highlighted in the translational science principles, we apply these methods to generate reproducible, high-quality findings that contribute to advancing successful translation. We strive to ensure that planning, development, award, and implementation of all research programs and activities we support are conducted in a rigorous, robust, and data-driven manner. In addition, we will continue to develop and share standard guidelines and best practices for researchers. NCATS and the translational science community will look for ways to increase support for ethical, legal, and societal impacts of its research and activities.
Objective 5-3: Assess policies and provide guidance that impacts translational science programs and activities.
Different types of policies can enable or impede translation. Proper stewardship around policy is critical in developing and implementing research-related programs and activities to foster effective translation.
Relevant legal and policy frameworks must be taken into consideration, such as privacy protections when using patient data, operational processes when conducting clinical trials, procedures when screening and sequencing for rare diseases, and when drafting data sharing and management plans. As part of this strategic plan, we will continue to identify and understand how policies impact translation and provide our perspective on these impacts. Additionally, we will consider how data generated from research and related activities can inform policy development. From there, we will support and build activities that enable us to address potential barriers either directly or through our role as a convener bringing together different groups, including consultation with Tribal Nations, patients and communities, scientific societies, and international organizations. We will also seek ways to increase awareness throughout the translational science research community around the meaning and implications of various policies.
Objective 5-4: Optimize resources and infrastructure to supercharge the impact of translational science.
Many steps must be completed before new research projects can start. Each step takes time and, as a result, can slow start times and obtaining results. Leveraging complementary expertise and tools ensures that research is being conducted in the most efficient manner.
We will continually assess and optimize organizational, operational, and business practices to advance translational science. This effort includes streamlining, digitizing, and automating business operations to align with relevant leading practices. We will ensure our funding opportunities address cutting-edge research needs and seize new opportunities. Our processes for grants, contracts, and other engagements will continue to be creative and robust. Regular monitoring and evaluation of our programs, activities, and priorities will ensure they align with and advance the NCATS mission.