OPAF PSA: NIBIB EXPLORES NEW OPPORTUNITIES WITH INDUSTRY

OPAF PSA: NIBIB EXPLORES NEW OPPORTUNITIES WITH INDUSTRY

Jeffrey S. Reznick

12/31/2003

The Orthotic and Prosthetic Assistance Fund (OPAF) offers the following
notice from National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
(NIBIB) as a Public Service Announcement (PSA), in fulfillment of OPAF's
official representation of O&P in community and philanthropic circles.

-----Original Message-----

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

NIH News

National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
<URL Redacted>

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, December 30, 2003

CONTACT:
Cheryl Fee
301-451-6772

NIBIB EXPLORES NEW OPPORTUNITIES WITH INDUSTRY

BETHESDA, MARYLAND -- The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and
Bioengineering (NIBIB), a component of the National Institutes of Health
(NIH), recently held a workshop to explore new avenues for partnering
and interacting with industry. The goals of the December 16-17, 2003,
workshop were to obtain input from biomedical industry representatives
on (1) specific research needs or problems that could be best solved by
an NIBIB-industry partnership to provide significant improvements in
healthcare; and (2) ways that the NIBIB and industry can collaborate to
effectively translate research results to patient care. An additional
focus was to also address anticipated manpower needs.

Participants in the NIBIB Workshop on Biomedical Industry Research and
Training Opportunities included representatives from 23 companies that
encompassed a broad range of commercial biomedical endeavors,
representatives from NIH and other Federal agencies, and extramural
observers. Specific topics discussed during the meeting included
industry research needs that will result in significant healthcare
improvements, Federal government/biomedical industry interactions, and
future manpower needs and associated training opportunities. Research
discussion focused on topics that industry currently would not or could
not support as part of their research agendas.

NIBIB Director Roderic I. Pettigrew, M.D., Ph.D., convened
the workshop by welcoming the participants and discussing
the importance of their participation.

Dr. Pettigrew stated that the overall objective of this
rare type of industry-based workshop was to identify
biomedical research and development areas of common
interest where a partnership could achieve healthcare
benefits that otherwise might not be explored or realized.
In particular, he asked the participants to consider
uncharted waters that might be better explored together
while being difficult for either the NIBIB or industry to explore alone.

The broad mission of the NIBIB is to improve healthcare by supporting
the development and translation of technologies that enable fundamental
discoveries and facilitate disease detection, management, and
prevention. Input from the extramural scientific community is vitally
important to ensure that the Institute's current and planned research
and training programs are relevant to biomedical research needs and
national healthcare priorities, address issues and challenges associated
with the development and application of enabling technologies, and
support the missions of the NIH and NIBIB. Input from the biomedical
industry community is particularly important with regard to identifying
research needs that will result in significant healthcare improvements,
translating technologies and research results to patient applications,
identifying special manpower needs, and developing effective training
opportunities.

Additional information on the workshop is available on the NIBIB website
at www.nibib.nih.gov. A report detailing the results of the workshop
will be prepared and posted on the website.

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