42 U.S.C. § 284o — Activities of the National Institutes of Health with respect to research on paralysis

(a) Coordination. The Director of NIH may create ways to coordinate paralysis research and rehabilitation work across NIH's institutes and centers, to push the work forward and avoid duplicating effort. (b) Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Research Consortia. (1) The Director may fund grants to public or private entities to plan, set up, improve, and provide basic operating support for paralysis research consortia. Each funded consortium is named a Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Research Consortium. (2) Each consortium may: do basic, translational, and clinical paralysis research; focus on developing treatments and therapies; focus on one or more forms of paralysis caused by central nervous system trauma or stroke; share clinical and scientific findings; and replicate other researchers' findings for scientific or translational purposes. (3) The Director may coordinate information among consortia, ensure regular communication between them, and require periodic reports on their activities. (4) Each consortium may use one lead institution, or be formed from several cooperating institutions, meeting the Director's requirements. (c) Public input. The Director may set up a way to educate the public about NIH's paralysis programs and research, and to collect public comments on them.