Summary: A survey of the research program at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration concentrated on NIMH priority-setting process for mental health research, procedures for monitoring research grants, and mechanisms for disseminating research results. The NIMH planning and priority-setting system is not tied into the budget process, it does not recognize ongoing work, and its forward plan does not provide specific long-term goals and objectives. NIMH should consider adopting a more formal and comprehensive research planning and priority-setting method than the current method which focuses only on new initiatives. There is no NIMH-wide system of grant monitoring or procedure for controlling the receipt and disposition of interim and final research reports. As a result, there is no assurance that grantees are performing research and reporting their findings in accordance with the terms of their grants. NIMH does not have a formal dissemination strategy or a method to meaningfully evaluate its dissemination efforts. The Director of NIMH should: annually prepare a research report showing overall NIMH research priorities and assessing research accomplishments and needs, develop and implement formal procedures for grant monitoring and final reporting, complete and take action on the ongoing analysis of grant deficiencies, and develop a formal research dissemination plan for NIMH.
