How Grant Success Rates Do (Or Do Not) Track With the NIH Budget: A Model of Funding Dynamics
From 2014 to 2018, the NIH budget increased every year, and yet, the Research Project Grant (RPG) success rate remained relatively constant at ~20%. From 2003 to 2006 the NIH budget remained relatively flat, yet the success rate decreased dramatically from 30% to 20%. Why don’t success rates neatly track the NIH budget? While inflation plays a role, there are more fundamental forces at play.
Here I present a series of budget and success rate scenarios that are largely based on a Service Science publication by Larson, Ghaffarzadegan, and Diaz. The bottom-line up front: NIH funding dynamics are strongly affected by obli...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - March 25, 2024 Category: Research Authors: Mike Lauer Tags: blog Open Mike Budget Funding data Source Type: funding
Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study Biospecimen Access (X01)
Funding Opportunity PAR-24-027 from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. The Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study provides the scientific community with biospecimens (urine, plasma, serum, and genomic DNA) and related research data on behaviors, attitudes, biomarkers and health outcomes associated with tobacco use in the U.S. This opportunity allows investigators to apply for access to the biospecimens from the PATH Study. Information about the PATH Study and this resource may be found on the PATH Study series page (https://doi.org/10.3886/Series606) at the University of Michigans National Addicti...
Source: NIH Funding Opportunities (Notices, PA, RFA) - August 24, 2023 Category: Research Source Type: funding
Animal Welfare Noncompliance: Data and Process
Brent C. Morse, DVM, DACLAM, Director, OLAW Division of Compliance Oversight Office of Extramural Research, NIH
As part of proper stewardship of taxpayer funds, we at NIH are obligated, both legally and ethically, to ensure the welfare and reduce risks for those involved in our supported research activities. This obligation includes research animals. Their humane care and use is something we take very seriously. We appreciate that Congress, the research community, interest groups, and other members of the public look towards us to observe this commitment. Today we are taking some time to touch upon our policies to protec...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - August 17, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Mike Lauer Tags: blog Open Mike Animal Welfare Grants policy Source Type: funding
Safeguarding Integrity and Collaborations: Not “Either-Or” but “Both-And”
We described our concerns in this venue on July 8, 2020; we have also assembled a content-rich foreign interference web site which includes case studies, disclosure requirements, processes for handling allegations, data, and a compilation of notices, statements, and reports.
The main points we make in our letter are:
NIH began addressing foreign interference concerns in May 2016, long before the Department of Justice launched its entirely separate “China Initiative.”
We understand concerns about racial, ethnic, or political targeting. The disproportionate number of cases (which altogether account ...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - May 25, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Mike Lauer Tags: blog Open Mike foreign interference Research integrity Source Type: funding
Check Out These Public Federal Funding Databases to Learn More About Funding at NIH and Other Federal Agencies
We often recommend NIH RePORT (Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools) site to applicants & awardees because it publicly provides reports, data, and analyses of NIH research activities, including information on NIH expenditures and the results of NIH-supported research. The RePORT suite includes:
NIH RePORTER (RePORT Expenditures and Results) allows users to search for funded projects, investigators, publications, and patents (see this NIH Open Mike blog for more). REPORTER also includes information on research projects funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, Agenc...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - May 9, 2023 Category: Research Authors: NIH Staff Tags: Tips Before You Submit Funding data Source Type: funding
Limited Competition: NEI - DOD Vision Research Collaborative (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
Funding Opportunity PAR-23-141 from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. The Vision Research Collaborative (VRC) is a joint initiative between the National Eye Institute (NEI) and the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) Vision Research Program (VRP) of the Department of Defense (DOD). The goal of this partnership is to provide additional funding opportunities for VRP proposals, enhance current NEI Program portfolios, expand the scope of research supported by the NEI, and provide support for high quality projects addressing critical gaps in civilian and military vision research. Only PI's who ha...
Source: NIH Funding Opportunities (Notices, PA, RFA) - April 4, 2023 Category: Research Source Type: funding
NIOSH Robotics and Intelligent Mining Technology and Workplace Safety Research (U60)
Funding Opportunity RFA-OH-23-005 from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. The purpose of this NOFO is to solicit meritorious applications from universities with graduate degree programs in both mining and explosives engineering to develop and conduct research initiatives in automation, robotics, and intelligent mining systems to improve workplace safety and health in U.S. mining operations and to build on NIOSH's work to address Congress mandates in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. This research will contribute to the goal of eliminating mining fatalities within the next two decades. (Source: NIH Fundin...
Source: NIH Funding Opportunities (Notices, PA, RFA) - February 22, 2023 Category: Research Source Type: funding
NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM)
Full Proposal Deadline Date: March 2, 2023 Tracks 2, 3 & Collaborative Planning Grants - Refer to Solicitation for Applicable Deadline Program Guidelines: NSF 23-527In 1998 Congress enacted the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century Act which provided funds to the National Science Foundation (NSF) to create a mechanism whereby the hiring of foreign workers in technology-intensive sectors on H-1B visas would help address the long-term workforce needs of the United States. Initially, scholarships were only provided for students in math, engineering, and computer science. Later legislation authorized NSF to expa...
Source: NSF Upcoming Due Dates - January 31, 2023 Category: Science Source Type: funding
Nizar N. Oweida, MD, FACS, Scholarship of the American College of Surgeons
A scholarship for surgeons in small towns and rural communities to either: (1) attend the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress; (2) travel and attend training; or (3) conduct research to improve performance as a rural surgeon. Geographic coverage: Nationwide -- American College of Surgeons (Source: Funding opportunities via the Rural Health Information Hub)
Source: Funding opportunities via the Rural Health Information Hub - January 11, 2023 Category: American Health Source Type: funding
Leading Equity and Diversity in the Medical Scientist Training Program (LEAD MSTP)(T32)
Funding Opportunity PAR-23-030 from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. The goal of the Leading Equity and Diversity in the Medical Scientist Training Program (LEAD MSTP) is to develop a diverse pool of highly trained clinician-scientist leaders available to meet the Nations biomedical research needs by providing support for dual-degree clinician scientist training at institutions that have historically not been well represented among NIGMS-funded MSTPs. Specifically, this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) provides support to eligible domestic institutions to develop and implement effective, evidence-informed a...
Source: NIH Funding Opportunities (Notices, PA, RFA) - November 22, 2022 Category: Research Source Type: funding
Dynamics of Integrated Socio-Environmental Systems (DISES)
Full Proposal Deadline Date: November 15, 2022 Program Guidelines: NSF 20-579The DISES Program supports research projects that advance basic scientific understanding of integrated socio-environmental systems and the complex interactions (dynamics, processes, and feedbacks) within and among the environmental (biological, physical and chemical) and human ("socio") (economic, social, political, or behavioral) components of such a system. The program seeks proposals that emphasize the truly integrated nature of a socio-environmental system versus two discrete ...More at https://beta.nsf.gov/programid/13681This is an NSF ...
Source: NSF Upcoming Due Dates - October 16, 2022 Category: Science Source Type: funding
HSI Program Network Resource Centers and Hubs (HSI-Net)
Letter of Intent Deadline Date: November 14, 2022 Required for the HSI Program Network Resource Center for Community Coordination (HSI-CCC) and HSI Program Network Resource Center for Evaluation, Research and Synthesis (HSI-CERS). Program Guidelines: NSF 22-602The National Science Foundation (NSF) established the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI Program) in 2017, as directed by Congress [1]. The goals of the HSI Program are to enhance the quality of undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and to increase the recruitment, retention, and gradu...
Source: NSF Upcoming Due Dates - October 15, 2022 Category: Science Source Type: funding
Notice of Information: National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) Award to Morehouse School of Medicine Due to Congressional Earmark
Notice NOT-MD-22-024 from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts (Source: NIH Funding Opportunities (Notices, PA, RFA))
Source: NIH Funding Opportunities (Notices, PA, RFA) - August 4, 2022 Category: Research 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
A Reflection on Impact
Some of you may have heard me quote a thoughtful essay by Daniel Shapiro and Kent Vrana (both of Pennsylvania State College of Medicine) that is critical of research institutions promoting what funds they’ve received over what scientific progress those funds have supported. The authors argue that instead of using a ranking system to measure success that favors number of grants and dollars, we should consider a new system that focuses on the efficiency by which the science was conducted and how the research contributes to answering questions that are meaningful to science.
With that in mind, it’s worth reflecting that i...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - May 26, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Mike Lauer Tags: blog Open Mike COVID-19 innovation reflection Source Type: funding
