When a new law allowed pediatric medical research to become better funded and coordinated, the potential for scientific discovery accelerated and the development of new therapies for our nation's children grew. FaegreBD Consulting's Nick Manetto and Dave Zook led the coalition effort that earned President Obama's signature in November 2013 on the PREEMIE Reauthorization Act, allowing the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish the National Pediatric Research Network (NPRN) and strengthen the nation's commitment to pediatric biomedical research.

History has shown that research networks help strengthen collaboration and coordination, accelerate research, and ensure resources are widely used. For six years, the Coalition for Pediatric Medical Research, a group of about 25 of the nation's leading children's hospitals, had been the leading advocate behind the NPRN. Now, the new law authorizes the NIH to develop a network of pediatric research consortia. Each consortium will feature multiple research institutions in a "hub and spoke" arrangement, investigator initiated and competitively selected via the NIH peer review process. In both the U.S. House and Senate, the legislation enjoyed strong bipartisan support and passed by unanimous voice votes.