When developing its budget proposal, each agency relies on research and data from internal and external sources to inform its budget proposal. Entitlement programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, for example, develop very specific, detailed spending projections derived from existing policy and population statistics. Other data come in from outside the agencies, sometimes at the request of an agency, sometimes unsolicited. Some of these external information sources are government-chartered yet independent organizations, such as the Institute of Medicine (www.iom.edu), one of the National Academies that advise the government on science, technology, and engineering. Others include non-governmental organizations (NGOs), some with international membership, such as the Global Health Council (formerly the National Council on International Health -- www.globalhealth.org). Economic consultants, trade association representatives, research organizations, and academic institutions also frequently weigh in. Individuals with contacts at any of these various groups can sometimes channel data and information of their own to them, and through them to federal agency staffs.