On Thursday, May 24th NIDRR and OSERS hosted an informational webinar on the proposed NIDRR long-range plan for fiscal years 2013 through 2017. The presentation given by NIDRR director Charlie Lakin, PhD, and Ruth Brannon, director of the Research Sciences Division, highlighted NIDRR’s mission, domains, grant mechanisms, and the proposed long-range plan.
Since NIDRR’s founding in 1978 as a result of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 its mission has been to generate new knowledge and to promote its effective use to improve the abilities of individuals with disabilities to perform activities of their choice in the community; and to expand society’s capacity to provide full opportunities and accommodations for its citizens with disabilities. The scope of NIDDR’s mandate includes cross-disability and cross-lifespan work that is encompassed by the core outcome domains: Employment outcomes, community living and participation, health and function, and the cross-cutting areas of technology/engineering and disability statistics. There are currently two grant mechanisms in place: Regulatory and agency-directed priorities. Regulatory priorities are typically published every year on a regular schedule and include projects types:
- Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)
- Field-Initiated Projects (Research and Development) (FIP)
- Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training (ARRT)
- Switzer Fellowships
Agency-directed priorities are published as approved by the director and the Office of Management and Budget and include project types:
- Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers (RRTC)
- Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERC)
- Model Systems (MS) in Spinal Cord, Traumatic Brain, and Burn Injury
- Disability Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP)
- Knowledge Translation (KT) Centers
- ADA National Network Regional Centers (ADA-DBTAC)
Collection Spotlight from the National Rehabilitation Information Center 