Many of you have been paying close attention to NIH efforts to increase funding for Early Stage and Mid-Career Investigators.
Their initial plan, the Grant Support Index (GSI) met with overwhelming concerns on the methodology for research impact assessment as well as the potential to discourage research networks, team science, complex trials, and the support of infrastructure and training that could result from a GSI-based cap on total support.
As a result, NIH is proposing a new plan, the Next Generation Researchers Initiative. This new approach plans to:
- Further extend early stage investigator paylines, aiming to fund most applications that score in top 25 percent
- Provide more support for mid-career investigators with ≤ 10 years as a principal investigator
- Place greater emphasis on funding programs aimed at early-stage & mid-career investigators
- The total cost (estimated at 210 million the first year) will come from each Institute & Center (IC) rearranging priorities in other categories
Read more about this initiative:
NIH Director’s Statement
Next Generation Researchers Initiative Web Page
Presentation to the Advisory Committee to NIH Director
NIH is accepting feedback via the Open Mike Blog or by email to publicinput@od.nih.gov.
Thank you,
Carol Rhodes
Director, Office of Sponsored Programs