In this presentation, I will first attempt to provide some clarification on the topic and describe some of the more commonly proposed adaptive designs. I will then focus on some specifics barriers that impede the use of adaptive designs in the NIH-funded environment. To address these concerns, the Scientific Advances in Adaptive Clinical Trial Designs workshop was organized in November 2009 to give participants from government agencies, industry, non-profit foundations, the patient advocacy community, and academia a forum to discuss the use of adaptive designs in publicly funded research. The workshop participants set forth six recommendations for guiding action to promote the appropriate use of adaptive designs. I will review the recommendations, and give thoughts for activities that should be considered to increase the future use of adaptive designs in publicly funded research.