Research in perinatal and neonatal medicine--a scientific vision for future decades.

In this article, a brief overview is presented concerning potential opportunities for and challenges in developing a neonatal-perinatal research agenda. Over a two year period, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, in the USA developed NICHD-Scientific Vision-The Next Decade. An outline of the Vision process and some of the recommendations originating from this are also described.