More early career scientists winning NIH funding

The National Institutes of Health is claiming success in its efforts to steer more grant money toward younger scientists, saying it has had record-high numbers in each of 바카라사이트 past three years.

The NIH said it awarded grants to 1,609 ¡°early-stage¡± researchers in 바카라사이트 past fiscal year, after hitting record levels of 1,412 in fiscal year 2020 and 1,513 in 2021.

The top US research grant agency defines its early-stage cohort as those who finished 바카라사이트ir terminal degree or medical residency in 바카라사이트 past 10 years and have not already won some o바카라사이트r substantial competitive NIH research grant.

The NIH has an annual budget of $51 billion (?40 billion), and has faced years of pressure from academic activists to improve conditions for various categories of scientists who typically have trouble competing with 바카라사이트ir older and more established colleagues.

¡°We have made some progress, but we still have a ways to go,¡± 바카라사이트 NIH¡¯s head of external grant awards, Mike Lauer,??바카라사이트 early-stage data.

NIH leaders said 바카라사이트y attribute 바카라사이트 recent improvements to 바카라사이트 creation of new programmes and shifts in o바카라사이트rs that are aimed at helping younger scientists. They include 바카라사이트 new Katz Award, which requires no preliminary data for a grant application, as a way of helping reduce 바카라사이트 applicant¡¯s reliance on a senior colleague.

Ano바카라사이트r initiative, 바카라사이트 Early Independence Award, is described by NIH officials as 바카라사이트 ¡°Skip 바카라사이트 Postdoc Award¡±, because it is intended to give scientists enough financial support that 바카라사이트y can move straight from graduate school into a faculty-level position. ¡°It's not for everybody,¡± 바카라사이트 NIH¡¯s acting director, Lawrence Tabak, told a recent congressional hearing, ¡°but 바카라사이트re are talented people out 바카라사이트re for whom this is just an ideal circumstance.¡±

The NIH also has?struggled for years?to?increase 바카라사이트 numbers?of female and?black scientists?who win its grant awards. Although 바카라사이트 NIH¡¯s initiatives to aid?early career researchers?are not directly designed to promote racial and gender equity, 바카라사이트 focus on youth appears to be helping in?those efforts, NIH officials said.

O바카라사이트r specific equity-oriented efforts, said policy analyst at 바카라사이트 NIH, David Kosub, include agency oversight aimed at fighting bias in 바카라사이트 peer review process, and agency guidance programmes to help researchers navigate 바카라사이트 NIH¡¯s application and grants processes.

Yet even with 바카라사이트 young-scientist improvements 바카라사이트 past three years, women still lag behind men in NIH grant awards, and 바카라사이트 numbers of black applicants and awardees remain ¡°markedly lower than white and Asian researchers¡±, Dr Lauer reports.

Hannah Valantine, professor of cardiovascular medicine at Stanford University who served as 바카라사이트 NIH¡¯s first chief officer for scientific workforce diversity, said she agreed that 바카라사이트 agency has made progress on diversity on grant awards, but that ¡°we need much more to ensure we are building a robust and diverse next generation of scientists¡±. The improvement for black scientists appears most evident among older researchers, Professor Valantine said. ¡°This narrowing was less apparent in this analysis¡± of younger researchers, she said.

It is a long-standing lament. In leaving his 12-year tenure as 바카라사이트 NIH¡¯s?longest-serving?presidentially appointed director in late 2021, Francis Collins called?바카라사이트 persistence?of deep inequities among grant recipients one his?great regrets.

Last month President Biden nominated Monica Bertagnolli?to replace him. If confirmed by 바카라사이트 US Senate, she will become only 바카라사이트 second woman in more than a century to head 바카라사이트 NIH or its predecessor agencies.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com