Introducing the NIH 2025–2030 Strategic Plan for Data Science

Resources
A fresh look at NIH’s evolving data science vision—what it means for statistical researchers
Published

June 30, 2025

NIH 2025–2030 Strategic Plan for Data Science: A Guided Introduction

Featured Resource: Director’s Blog – What Researchers Need to Know
Author: Dr. Susan Gregurick, Associate Director for Data Science, National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Published: June 4, 2025
For context: Official Strategic Plan Overview Page

The NIH Office of Data Science Strategy (ODSS) has released the 2025–2030 Strategic Plan for Data Science, and it’s more than a routine update—this version signals a major turning point for how biomedical data will be managed, shared, analyzed, and ethically governed.

To help statistical researchers navigate what’s new and why it matters, Dr. Susan Gregurick has written a concise introductory blog post that breaks down the plan’s five core goals with practical relevance for those working with biomedical data.

🧭 What’s in the Plan? (Quick Glance at the Five Goals)

  1. Improve Data Management and Sharing Capabilities
    Expanded support for FAIR+CARE practices, new data stewardship tools, and governance frameworks that respect Indigenous and sensitive data contexts.

  2. Enhance Human-Derived Data for Research
    Greater interoperability across real-world clinical and lifestyle data, with standards like FHIR® and TEFCA™, and governance for informed consent and data linkage.

  3. Advance Software, Computational Methods, and AI
    Continued support for open tools, reproducibility, and innovation—including digital twins, privacy-preserving analytics, and sustainable research software.

  4. Support a Federated Research Infrastructure
    Connecting platforms like CRDC, BioData Catalyst®, and dbGaP under a secure, searchable, and interoperable framework using programs like NCPI and RAS.

  5. Strengthen the Data Science Community
    Broader workforce development, expanded training, and inclusive partnerships such as NARCH and DATA Scholars to grow national capacity in data science.

🔍 Why This Matters to the Statistical Community

This new plan builds on NIH’s first-ever Data Science Strategic Plan from 2018 (read here), but with sharper emphasis on sustainability, interoperability, and ethical stewardship.

“As we look boldly to the future, we will build on that foundation to advance new, sustainable, trustworthy capabilities and enable a strong workforce community that leverages data science to inform discovery and care for all.”
— Dr. Susan Gregurick, NIH Office of Data Science Strategy

The accompanying blog post provides a researcher-centered tour of what’s changing and how it affects day-to-day data science practice—from metadata quality and federated governance to computational infrastructure and AI tool support.

It’s a helpful lens for statisticians and data scientists across academia, government, and industry to align their practices with NIH’s vision and prepare for collaborative, reproducible, and policy-aligned research.

👉 Start here:
🔗 Introducing the NIH 2025–2030 Strategic Plan for Data Science (Director’s Blog)
📄 2025–2030 NIH Strategic Plan for Data Science (HTML)
📄 2018–2023 NIH Strategic Plan for Data Science (PDF)