The National Institutes of Health (NIH) are seeking to improve communications with the academic community, to utilize the NIH advisory apparatus more effectively in the development of NIH programs, and to develop uniform policies with specific criteria for selecting grants to fund extramural research. (Editor/PG)

Relying upon grant-supported salaries, many medical schools have greatly expanded their faculties; but if new funding devices are not discovered, retrenchment will occur. Physicians, who are trained to look at the big picture, must continue to be an essential element in the biomedical research team. (MLW)

Recent activities of the General Accounting Office (GAO) related to the allocation of medical resources and services are reviewed. Focus is on the evaluation of programs designed to increase public access to quality health care and to contain health care costs. GAO supervision of grant monies designated for medical research is also discussed. (JMD)

Projects that the National Fund for Medical Education will fund in the 1980s include advances in medical education to help contain health care costs; educational programs to improve doctor patient relationships; promotion of careers in medical education and research; and integration of new subjects into the curriculum. (JMD)