Follow-Up Career Stage Analyses of Applications Submitted During the Pandemic (Part 6)
Our series of blog posts on the distributions of gender and race of designated principal investigators (PIs) of R01 and RPG applications submitted before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic continues today. When looking back, posts from April 2022, October 2021, June 2021, and July 2020 did not show any particularly marked differences in the high-level demographics of designated PIs during the course of the pandemic.
In response to reader comments, we looked at applications broken down by career stage in June 2022. It was interesting to notice slowly increasing trends in the proportions of early stage investigat...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - October 13, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Mike Lauer Tags: blog Open Mike applications COVID-19 Funding data Source Type: funding
Data on Number of Research Project Grants per Principal Investigator
Earlier this year, we posted a blog about inequalities in Research Project Grant (RPG) support for extramural principal investigators (PIs). The blog was based on a paper we published in which we showed, among other things, that well-funded PIs not only were supported by more money but also by a larger number of distinct grants. Over 80% of the PIs in the top centile (top 1%) of funding were supported by two or more grants, compared to only 33% of the PIs in the bottom 99%.
Many comments to that post requested data on time-related trends of number of RPGs supporting individual PIs. Figure 1 shows exactly that. In Fiscal Ye...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - September 26, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Mike Lauer Tags: blog Open Mike Funding data grants RPG Source Type: funding
Center for Scientific Review 2022-2027 Strategic Plan
Noni Byrnes, Ph.D., Director of NIH Center for Scientific Review
Guest post by Noni Byrnes, originally released on the NIH Center for Scientific Review’s Review Matters blog
I am pleased to announce the release of the Center for Scientific Review (CSR) 2022-2027 Strategic Plan. CSR is entrusted with most of the peer review that enables NIH to support a broad range of biomedical research. Our primary goal, to ensure that peer review identifies the strongest, most promising science, depends upon an evaluation process that is fair, independent, expert, timely and free from inappropriate influences. This plan delineates a ...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - September 22, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Noni Byrnes Tags: blog Open Mike CSR Peer review Source Type: funding
Reminders About Financial Conflicts of Interest and Other Support
A recent study from the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) affirmed that NIH grant recipients play a key role in protecting the integrity and security of U.S. biomedical research, in part through requiring Investigators to disclose all of their significant financial interests and all sources of their other support. As noted by the OIG, failures by some recipients to disclose substantial contributions of resources from foreign entities (including foreign governments) have raised concerns about threats to the integrity of NIH-supported research. In response to the OIG recommendations, we are reminding grant applicants a...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - September 16, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Mike Lauer Tags: blog Open Mike FCOI other support Research integrity Source Type: funding
Case Study in Research Integrity: You Can Disagree, Without Being Disagreeable
We are committed to ensuring a safe and respectful workplace wherever NIH-supported research occurs. Be it at a recipient institution, at a conference where scientific ideas are exchanged, or in our own intramural labs, everybody deserves to work in an environment that is free of harassment, bullying, intimidation, threats, or other disruptive and inappropriate behaviors. Likewise, this goes for NIH program officers, scientific review officers (SROs), grants management specialists, and other extramural staff who are dedicated to helping NIH fulfill its mission to improve the public’s health. Unfortunately, we are seeing ...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - September 14, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Mike Lauer Tags: blog Open Mike anti-harassment NIH staff non-discrimination Research integrity Source Type: funding
Announcing the 2023 NIH Loan Repayment Program Application Cycle and a New LRP Director
As we approach September, the next NIH Loan Repayment Program (LRP) application cycle is upon us. The Extramural LRP has six subcategories that aim to recruit and retain highly qualified biomedical and behavioral scientists to engage in NIH-mission relevant research.
The next application cycle opens September 1, 2022 and closes November 17, 2022. For those interested in applying, we are also hosting several activities designed to help you prepare a successful application:
NIH Loan Repayment Programs: Supporting the Next Generation of Researchers: August 25, 2022
Twitter Chat: September 8, 2022
LRP Technical Assistance Web...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - August 22, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Mike Lauer Tags: blog Open Mike application loan repayment program LRP Source Type: funding
Preliminary Data on Childcare Cost Support for National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Fellows
In April 2021, recognizing the high cost of childcare, NIH began allowing recipients of full-time National Research Service Awards (NRSA) fellowships to request support for childcare costs. Fellows could make these requests in new and continuation applications or as administrative supplements to existing awards. Each fellow is now eligible to receive up to $2,500 per budget period to defray childcare costs. Here, we share preliminary data on childcare cost requests and issuances.
NIH received 229 childcare requests in fiscal year (FY) 2021 and 357 requests in FY 2022 from NRSA fellows (Table 1). We issued 228 childcare cos...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - August 10, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Mike Lauer Tags: blog Open Mike childcare cost Family Friendly fellowship NRSA Source Type: funding
2022-2023 Virtual NIH Grants Conference and PreCon Events: New Name! New Approach! Deeper Dive!
Reimagine: to reinterpret (an event, work of art, etc.) imaginatively; rethink
If you have followed my blogs through the years, you know I am a huge fan of an NIH event focused on bringing the extramural research community together with NIH experts to share knowledge, perspectives, guidance, and resources on the NIH grants process and policies. The event has evolved through the years in format, reach, and trans-NIH involvement. Each year, I thought its success would be hard to top…yet somehow it happened. For decades it was known as the “NIH Regional Seminar on Program Funding and Grants Administration.” We capped ...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - August 8, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Mike Lauer Tags: blog Open Mike General grants conference virtual seminar Source Type: funding
Implementation Updates for the New NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy
Dr. Lyric Jorgenson, Acting Associate Director for Science Policy and Acting Director of the NIH Office of Science Policy
As we work towards the January 25, 2023 effective date of the new NIH Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Policy, we continue to develop resources and implementation information to help the community prepare (see recently released NOT-OD-22-189). For some scientific communities, data sharing is already standard and things will largely be business as usual. For others, this policy may require some pretty big adjustments. We acknowledge that there will be a learning curve. We will be supporting you with add...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - August 5, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Mike Lauer Tags: blog Open Mike Data sharing genomic data sharing Source Type: funding
More Early-Stage Investigators Supported in FY 2021
Discussion Rate(%)1
Funding Rate(%)
Early Stage
Female
2,412
1
1,492
667
61.9
27.7
Male
2,752
1
1,693
787
61.5
28.6
New, Not Early
Female
2,533
1
1,363
457
53.8
18.0
Male
3,832
1
1,968
670
51.4
17.5
At Risk
Female
2,542
1
1,563
691
61.5
27.2
Male
5,349
1
3,089
1,313
57.7
24.5
Established
Female
3,364
1
2,270
999
67.5
29.7
Male
7,498
1
5,229
2,350
69.7
31.3
1 The Discussion Rate is a person-based metric that is the percent of applicants (actually people designated as PI’s on an application) who had at least one application make it to the discussion stage of peer review.
The discussion rate was lower...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - July 18, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Mike Lauer Tags: blog Open Mike ESI NGRI workforce Source Type: funding
Introducing Ericka Boone, the New Director of the Biomedical Research Workforce Division
Dr. Ericka Boone, Director, Division of Biomedical Research Workforce
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Ericka Boone as the new director of the Division of Biomedical Research Workforce (DBRW) in the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER), and I am thrilled she agreed to take on this role, given her background, interest, passions, and work ethic. I am very optimistic that DBRW is in great hands. Through her efforts and in close coordination with other components across NIH and beyond, I anticipate her appointment will lead to substantive advancements in the wellbeing of the NIH funded extramural research wor...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - June 30, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Mike Lauer Tags: blog Open Mike Biomedical Workforce NGRI scientific workforce diversity UNITE Source Type: funding
Inflation and NIH Research Project Grants
Here we discuss how inflation has been relevant to NIH Research Project Grants (RPG), the largest component of extramural NIH funding.
We can start with a straightforward question: What is inflation? The US Federal Reserve defines inflation as “the increase in the prices of goods and services over time.” Prices for research project grants may increase over time for a variety of reasons:
Background inflation: Prices increase across the economy due to increases in the money supply and/or economy-wide demand and supply stresses; these are reflected in general price indices, such as the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) price ...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - June 29, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Mike Lauer Tags: blog Open Mike Funding data RPG Source Type: funding
Another Look at Applications Submitted During the Pandemic (Part 5): A Focus on Career Stage
In posts from April 2022, October 2021, June 2021,and July 2020, we looked at the distributions of gender and race of designated principal investigators (PI’s) of R01 and RPG applications submitted before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we extend on our prior analyses by presenting R01-equivalent application data on PI characteristics of Early Stage Investigators (ESIs). As before, we focus on applications received during specific calendar periods.
Tables 1 and 2 show R01-equivalant applications according to career stage. Of note, there was a marked increase in the number of applications received be...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - June 28, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Mike Lauer Tags: blog Open Mike applications COVID-19 Funding data Source Type: funding
Research Project Grant Funding Rates and Principal Investigator Race and Ethnicity
Marie A. Bernard, M.D., NIH Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity.
NIH has long collected self-designated demographic information on scientists designated as Principal Investigators (PIs) or Key Personnel and used this information to gain insights into the NIH-supported biomedical research workforce. Just over 10 years ago, Ginther and colleagues used these data to publish a seminal paper that showed that Black/African American PIs were less likely than whites to receive funding on R01 applications. Since that publication, NIH embarked on efforts to enhance the diversity of the biomedical research workforce; the...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - June 14, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Mike Lauer Tags: blog Open Mike Diversity Funding data funding rate grants Source Type: funding
DataWorks! Prize – Incentives for building a culture of data sharing and reuse
Susan K. Gregurick, Ph.D., NIH Associate Director for Data Science and Director of the Office of Data Science Strategy
A $500,000 prize purse, rewarding data sharing and reuse in biomedical research, is a new, innovative strategy for supporting the research community. The DataWorks! Prize highlights the role of data sharing and reuse in scientific discovery while recognizing and rewarding researchers who engage in these practices. This prize, which launched on May 11, 2022, is a partnership between the NIH Office of Data Science Strategy and the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB).
The future ...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - June 6, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Mike Lauer Tags: blog Open Mike data science Data sharing Source Type: funding
