The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has released a draft strategic plan (PDF, 621KB) for 2012-2016.  The plan lays out priorities for NIDCD research funding in the areas of hearing, balance, smell, taste, voice, speech, and language. 

These priorities are organized into four general areas:

1. Understanding Normal Function

2. Understanding Diseases and Disorders

3. Improving Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

4. Improving Outcomes for Human Communication

The public is invited to respond to the plan through the NIDCD comments website. The deadline for comments is November 23, 2011. 

See also:

NIH Guide Notice (NOT-DC-12-001)