Notes from the Director, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: NHLBI core values and shaping the 2007 budget.

With fiscal year 2007 well under way, we write to report on the status of our budget for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). As a result of a Congressional joint resolution, the NHLBI received an allocation of $2 918 808 000, which represents an increase of 1% over the comparable figure for fiscal year 2006. The NHLBI has a longstanding and powerful commitment to preserve and enhance investigator-initiated research and to develop and support new investigators. In these difficult times, the NHLBI’s top priorities will be to stay true to these core values. To accomplish this objective, we have developed a number of strategies to assist investigators in launching successful research careers and riding out tough times. Several policies are designed to ease the path to independence for new investigators (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/funding/ policies/operguid.htm):