The life sciences computer resources program of the National Institutes Of Health

Abstract

I appreciate this opportunity to describe for you the computer resources program of the Division of Research Resources of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). For ten years now this program has sponsored the development and operation of computer centers in medical schools, universities and colleges, and other non-profit institutions. At the beginning of the 1960's the computer was practically unknown in the biomedical world; today the computer finds application in almost every facet of life science research and in many areas of health care. Computer centers sponsored by the NIH have done much to bring about this decade of progress. My purpose today is to review the history of our computer resources program and to illustrate some of its accomplishments. I also will share with you some reflections on successes and failures and some current opinions on what to do and what not to do. Hopefully, a brief recounting of our experiences and the lessons we derive from them will prove a useful corollary to other presentations before this ACM session.