On Jan. 15, 2007, President Bush signed H.R. 6164 as P.L. 109-482, the National Institutes of Health Reform Act of 2006 , which included the Common Fund, was enacted into law to support cross-cutting, trans-NIH programs that require participation by at least two NIH Institutes or Centers (ICs) or would otherwise benefit from strategic planning and coordination.

The intent of NIH Common Fund programs is to provide a strategic and nimble approach to address key roadblocks in biomedical research that impede basic scientific discovery and its translation into improved human health.