I choose the ILSI Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI) Strategic for answering to this question.

ILSI Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI) Strategic Profile: 2006-2010

BACKGROUND: The HESI Board of Trustees and staff conducted a Strategic Planning Retreat in July 2006 to set its strategic direction for the next four years (2006-2010). HESI last conducted a Strategic Planning Retreat in July 2006. The revised strategic plan builds on the previous activity. This 2006-2010 Strategic Profile summarizes the priorities and objectives identified in the revised plan. See Attachment 1 for a graphic of the 2006-2010 HESI Strategic Plan.

HESI’s MISSION: The mission of HESI remains unchanged: To stimulate and support scientific research and educational programs that contribute to the identification and resolution of health and environmental issues of concern to the public, scientific community, government agencies, and industry.

HESI’s CENTRAL CHALLENGE: From 2006 to 2010, the organization’s central challenge is to strengthen HESI’s global scientific contribution and impact on human health.

HESI’s STRATEGIC PRIORITIES:To meet this central challenge, HESI will address the following five strategic priorities during the next four years:

Increase the quality and value of HESI’s scientific contribution.

Strengthen HESI’s credibility and impact with key stakeholders.

Strengthen HESI as a sustainable global organization.

Assure transparency of scientific and communications processes.

Continue to improve organizational effectiveness of HESI and ILSI.

ACCOUNTABILITY AND RATIONALE: In general, accountability for implementing these strategic priorities and their supporting objectives lies with the HESI Board of Trustees and its committees, the HESI Executive Director and staff, and/or the leadership of the committees/subcommittees. (See Attachments 2 and 3.) The nature and context of accountability in these areas is briefly characterized on the following

pages. In some instances, primary (1°) and secondary (2°) groups are identified as accountable for a specific strategic priority or supporting objective. In these cases, primary responsibility indicates the group which has direct accountability; the secondary group provides support to the primary group and often implements strategies for achieving the priority or objective.

A rationale for each strategic priority or supporting objective is provided.

STRATEGIC PRIORITY #1: Increase the quality and value of HESI’s scientific contribution.

Supporting Objectives:

1A. Strengthen HESI’s ability to identify, prioritize, and engage emerging human health and environmental scientific issues.

1B. Optimize HESI’s scientific portfolio to ensure quality and value.

1C. Determine HESI’s scope and role in environmental science.

1D. Expand and deepen the scientific engagement of key stakeholders.

Establish success criteria and effective measures of scientific contribution.

Objective 1A. Strengthen HESI’s ability to identify, prioritize, and engage emerging human health and environmental scientific issues.

Accountability: Emerging Issues Steering Committee

Rationale: HESI will explore ways to strengthen its ability to identify, prioritize, and engage emerging human health and environmental scientific issues through a variety of mechanisms, including improvements to the Emerging Issues (EI) process; development of company- identified and -funded project ideas; and evaluation of issues identified by other organizations.

HESI will continue to examine scientific trends to forecast new directions, including genomics, cell biology, molecular epidemiology, development of biomarkers of exposure or effect, and other emerging areas of research. HESI also has an opportunity to make significant scientific contributions to improvements to toxicity testing, including research aimed at devising appropriate alternatives to the use of animals. As described in Objective 1C, HESI’s role in environmental science will be explored.

Objective 1B. Optimize HESI’s scientific portfolio to ensure quality and value.

Accountability: Board Program Strategy and Stewardship Committee

Rationale: During the next four years, the Program Strategy and Stewardship Committee (PSSC) of the HESI Board of Trustees and the HESI staff will work toward balancing the scientific portfolio to ensure that appropriate energy is focused on established as well as breakthrough (i.e., emerging) activities that bring value to the organization. A stronger link will be created between the elements of the HESI Scientific Map and the project portfolio.

The PSSC will implement a formal review process for all components of the portfolio, as well as a sunset strategy for projects. The primary objective of these reviews is to assure continuing high quality, scientific content of HESI committee work products, as well as a continued focus on achievable objectives. The HESI Board and staff will explore the optimal level of staffing for the number of committed projects.

Objective 1C. Determine HESI’s scope and role in environmental science.

Accountability: Board Program Strategy and Stewardship Committee (1°), Emerging

Issues Steering Committee (2°)

Rationale: Efforts to increase the quality and value of HESI’s scientific contributions must include a determination of its scope and role in environmental science. During the next four years, the organization’s scope and level of activity in projects with an environmental focus will be determined based on the interest of the HESI Assembly of Members. The interest level may vary according to the sector-specific concerns of the chemical, pesticide, consumer products, and pharmaceutical industries, as well as on staffing resources.

Objective 1D. Expand and deepen the scientific engagement of key stakeholders.

Accountability: Committee leadership (1°), Emerging Issues Steering Committee (2°)

Rationale: The quality and value of HESI’s scientific contributions are a reflection of the strong scientific resources at its disposal. During the next four years, opportunities will be created to enhance HESI’s successful track record for establishing collaborations and partnerships with high-caliber government and academic scientists around the world. Through the EI process, HESI will continue to seek stakeholder involvement. As HESI explores the integration of pre-clinical and clinical results, and as the organization attempts to better link experimental, laboratory-based studies with human studies (or the lack thereof), an increased level of clinical representation on the HESI Board, its committees, and their projects will be important.

Objective 1E. Establish