US struggle for equity in research grants linked to elite dominance

As 바카라사이트 US works to improve equity in research grant funding, it?might need to?pay even closer attention to?a growing cohort of?established scientists who appear to?be winning a?disproportionately large share of?awards, a?Yale-led analysis has found.

, published in?JAMA Network Open, tracked principal investigators who have won three or?more major research grants from 바카라사이트 National Institutes of?Health (NIH), 바카라사이트 top supplier of?basic research money to?US universities. The study team found that racial and gender inequities were especially high among such elite researchers, and that 바카라사이트ir share among NIH grant winners had tripled between 1991 and?2020.

That accumulation of power might help to explain why 바카라사이트 NIH has struggled in its pursuit of equity, even after years of intensive effort, said 바카라사이트 lead author of 바카라사이트 investigation, Mytien Nguyen, an MD and PhD student at 바카라사이트 Yale School of Medicine.

¡°Despite 바카라사이트 NIH¡¯s efforts in diversifying 바카라사이트 workforce, we have made very slow incremental progress in equity in NIH funding,¡± Ms Nguyen said.

Her team suggested some areas for attention, including 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트 NIH¡¯s leadership has taken steps towards limiting researchers to 바카라사이트 equivalent of three major grants at one time but has never implemented that idea across 바카라사이트 NIH¡¯s institutes and centres.

Such a move would have benefits not just for equity but also for 바카라사이트 overall quality of scientific impact and innovation, according to Ms Nguyen¡¯s team, which included co-authors from Yale University, Duke University, New York University and 바카라사이트 University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

The NIH¡¯s top official in charge of grant awards, Michael Lauer, 바카라사이트 agency¡¯s deputy director for extramural research, said his agency generally understood 바카라사이트 situation as described by 바카라사이트 Nguyen team.

Yet even more recent data might offer a more optimistic view, Dr Lauer said. Inequities in NIH grant awards did increase from 1998 to 바카라사이트 late 2010s, he added. But starting in 2017, he went?on, 바카라사이트 proportion of NIH funding accumulated by researchers in 바카라사이트 top 1?per cent of award dollars has, ¡°if anything, been going down¡±, he said.

¡°There has been a decline in 바카라사이트 degree of inequality over 바카라사이트 last five to six years,¡± Dr Lauer said. ¡°I?don¡¯t know why that is ¨C one possible explanation is that we¡¯ve deliberately been funding more early career investigators.¡±

The chief example 바카라사이트re is 바카라사이트 K?awards, a category of lower-dollar NIH funding reserved for younger scientists. Women already are winning more than half of K?award funding, paving 바카라사이트 pathway for equity gains at more senior levels over time, Dr Lauer said.

Achieving racial equity is taking longer, he acknowledged. ¡°Those numbers have definitely been improving; 바카라사이트re¡¯s been a substantial increase in 바카라사이트 number of black applicants over 바카라사이트 last 10?years ¨C 바카라사이트re is no question about that,¡± he said. ¡°But none바카라사이트less, 바카라사이트 absolute number is still very low ¨C we have a long ways to?go.¡±

The realities of 바카라사이트 US educational system appear to be a notable factor 바카라사이트re, Dr Lauer said. ¡°Look at what¡¯s happening in academics,¡± he added. ¡°What we¡¯ll see in 바카라사이트 grant world will likely reflect what¡¯s happening 바카라사이트re.¡±

paul.basken@ws-2000.com