Revolutionizing Science

Partnerships

NIH catalyzes the research enterprise by fostering partnerships to advance research fields in new ways and new directions.

ACTIV

NIH rapidly pivoted to combat COVID-19, establishing an unprecedented public-private partnership, Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV), by April 2020.  ACTIV enabled the rapid and open exchange of information between government agencies, industry, and researchers to speed up research and clinical development of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics.

Image credit: Lesnick Photo

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  • ACTIV established common research protocols for COVID-19 interventions so that researchers working on the same types of interventions were working toward the same measurable endpoints. This approach enabled rapid testing of possible vaccines and therapeutics and swift elimination of those that were not effective.
  • ACTIV brought together groups of scientific experts with different backgrounds to survey, assess, and evaluate the impact of viral evolution on vaccines and therapeutics. This illustrates what a team of dedicated experts from across sectors can accomplish and serves as a model for future partnerships.
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COVID-19 Diagnostics

NIH facilitated the high-speed development of COVID-19 diagnostic technologies by applying a new model for innovation and collaboration between government, academia, and the private sector that can shape how technologies are developed in the future and be leveraged for other public health problems.

Image credit: iStock

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  • The Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx®) initiative enabled the accelerated development of COVID-19 diagnostic tests, reducing development timelines from years down to months.
  • As of November 2021, the RADx® initiative received over 800 submissions for COVID-19 testing technologies and supported more than 100 companies. 
  • As of November 2021, support from the initiative led to 35 FDA emergency use authorizations (EUAs), including the first over-the-counter EUA for at-home COVID-19 tests. The cumulative capacity of manufactured tests and test products exceeds 950 million.
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Workforce Diversity

The NIH-funded Diversity Program Consortium (DPC) created a network of institutions improving training and mentoring to enhance individuals’ success in biomedical careers. DPC efforts provided mentorship to over 10,000 scientists, including those from underrepresented groups, and resulted in hundreds of publications.

Image credit: John Powell

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  • DPC fosters successful research careers among scientists from diverse backgrounds and advances biomedical research through a series of partnership programs, including Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD), National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN), and Coordination & Evaluation Center (CEC).
  • DPC efforts resulted in 343 publications, as of November 2021, based on pilot projects and evaluations conducted on the activities of the consortium.
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Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging

Launched in 2004, the NIH-funded Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) is a public-private partnership between NIH, nonprofits, and private industry designed to understand and develop tools to track Alzheimer’s disease. With 57 sites, ADNI aided the development of methods and tools that can detect the hallmark signs of this disease.

Image credit: National Institute on Aging, NIH

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  • ADNI researchers aided the development of methods and tools to detect the hallmark signs of Alzheimer’s disease that can be seen with PET scans of the brain and found in spinal fluid and blood. 
  • An analysis in August 2020 revealed that open-access ADNI data had been requested by 24,500 users, resulting in 131 million downloads of data and 2,300 manuscript submissions.
  • The successful ADNI model inspired similar initiatives for Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis.
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References

ACTIV

  1. Accelerating Covid-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV): /research-training/medical-research-initiatives/activ
  2. Tracking Resistance and Coronavirus Evolution (TRACE): /research-training/medical-research-initiatives/activ/tracking-resistance-coronavirus-evolution-trace

COVID-19 Diagnostics

  1. Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx®) initiative: /research-training/medical-research-initiatives/radx
  2. RADx® Tech and ATP Programs: 
  3. RADx® Tech Dashboard: 
  4. RADx® Tech and ATP Programs: Phase 2 Awards: 
  5. Article: RADx One Year Later – A Sea Change for Diagnostics: 
  6. Radical solutions. Nat Biotechnol. 2021;39(4):391. PMID: .
  7. Roback JD, et al. Nat Biotechnol. 2021;39(9):1060-1062. PMID: .

Workforce Diversity

  1. Diversity Program Consortium: 
  2. Article: Developing Biomedical Research Capacity through the Diversity Program Consortium: 

Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging

  1. Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative: 
  2. Advances in Alzheimer’s Disease & Related Dementias Research: 
  3. Weiner MW, et al. Alzheimers Dement. 2015;11(7):865-84. PMID: .
  4. Weiner MW, et al. Alzheimers Dement. 2017;13(5):561-571. PMID: .
  5. Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative 3: 

Image credit: John Powell

This page last reviewed on December 8, 2023