Master planning is the articulation of goals for the future development of NIH's campuses through a logical sequence of programs and projects enabling NIH to meet critical research priorities and planning objectives. The Plan presents the present composition of NIH campuses and a process for their orderly and comprehensive development over a period of approximately 20 years. The Master Plan is not a construction plan but a framework in which future development can be accommodated if and when budget and political priorities and mandates dictate. Actual realization of NIH Master Plans depends on priorities of NIH and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) priorities, Congressional and Presidential policy decisions, and federal budgetary realities.

Master planning is the responsibility of the ORF Division of Facilities Planning . The NIH Bethesda Master Plan 2003 Update and the accompanying Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) were approved in early 2005. The Division is currently in the process of preparing master plans for its other campuses, including a Master Plan for NIH's Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton , Montana . This plan will also include an EIS.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Master Plan and Environmental Impact Statement