The Foundation for the NIH is the premier catalyst of transformational public-private partnerships that help the NIH in its mission to improve human health. It does this by convening and uniting diverse interests to address difficult challenges in medical research and by facilitating the focused collaboration of the NIH and the private sector.

Specifically, the Foundation:

• supports programs that have impact and deliver tangible results
• efficiently utilizes partners’ money, time and attention to leverage federal funding and accelerate results
• acts as a neutral convener—a trusted facilitator that creates an environment in which partners collaborate effectively to achieve a common goal
• facilitates, for private-sector partners and donors, an understanding of practical ways to partner with the NIH institutes and centers

High-risk efforts—even those that promise high rewards—often cannot be accomplished with funding from one source alone. Through the Foundation for the NIH, private partners can join with the NIH to accomplish their mutual goals, concentrating on five areas of focus in line with the priorities of the NIH’s director:

• Translating research into real patient applications
• Developing research resources and infrastructure
• Encouraging biomedical education and training
• Addressing global health challenges
• Informing health-care reform policy debate through scientific research

The Foundation’s public-private partnerships are designed for synergy. By bringing together disparate stakeholders around a common goal, we spread and share project costs as well as accomplishments. The energy and ideas of each partner help to hasten the discovery of new treatments and cures for illnesses of all kinds.