The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has released an NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for COVID-19 Research (PDF, 3.44MB)opens in new window that calls for research in five areas: fundamental knowledge, detection, and diagnosis; treatment; prevention; and health disparities. The agency’s plans include funding of psychosocial and behavioral research on a wide range of topics related to the pandemic, including physical distancing and quarantining, mental health, substance use, recovery, and well-being.
The plan incorporates NIH’s Rapid Acceleration of Diagnosticsopens in new window (RADx) initiative, which aims to develop biomedical technologies and implementation strategies to enhance coronavirus testing. This initiative includes research on the social, ethical, and behavioral implications of COVID-19 and research to strengthen access to and acceptance of testing. Further, through the initiative’s RADx Underserved Populations (RADx-UP) component, NIH aims to support research on the factors that have led to the burden of the pandemic falling disproportionately on specific populations. Current RADx funding opportunitiesopens in new window can be found online.
Additionally, the strategic plan highlights the need for research on the impacts of coronavirus infection in pregnant women and on neurological and neurocognitive impacts in older adults.
The American Psychological Association continues to advocate for support by federal agencies for research on the psychological dimensions of COVID-19 and for research that will strengthen preparations for and responses to future pandemics. APA also works for federal funding and policies that will support scientists and labs whose work has been interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic (such as funding included in the proposed HEROES Actopens in new window).
For more information, contact Angela Sharpe, MG, or Pat Kobor, MA, of APA’s Advocacy Office.