1. How to Build a Productive Relationship with NIH Topics Know your disease Know the NIH and NINDS Have realistic expectations Advocate for stronger NIH and FDA Know about related diseases

2. How to Build a Productive Relationship with NIH Know your disease Learn about the science and the status of the research related to your disease Provide seed funding to investigators to facilitate future NIH grant applications Play an active role, as appropriate, in grant submissions (e.g. support letters) Discovery Preclinical Development Clinical Development Phases IIIlll ApprovalMarket

3. How to Build a Productive Relationship with NIH Know the NIH and NINDS! Meet and work closely with your Program Director Learn about the various NIH grant mechanisms Stay aware of new opportunities for funding (e.g. new RFAs) which may benefit your investigators and/or industry partners And share this information! Attend the open sessions of NINDS Advisory Council meetings Build relationships Organize workshops with the NINDS and invite investigators, FDA and/or industry Help facilitate collaborations (play matchmaker)

4. How to Build a Productive Relationship with NIH Have realistic expectations (part of knowing the NIH and NINDS) Understand NIH/NINDS constraints; how they can help and how they cannot! What did you expect?

5. How to Build a Productive Relationship with NIH Advocate For stronger NIH and FDA budgets vs. disease specific earmarks Join coalitions Weight value vs. cost Consider the NIH perspective of coalitions vs. the perspective of a given center or institute

6. How to Build a Productive Relationship with NIH Know about related diseases (part of relationship building) Find common mechanisms amongst diseases and use to promote discovery and translation (e.g., oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, proteinopathy, etc.)