The following article ran last week in Science. The link to the full article is below.
NIH's Bounty Split Between Bricks and Basic Science
Biomedical researchers will have the chance to apply for quick-hit, $1 million challenge grants as part of the funding that the National Institutes of Health is slated to receive under the proposed economic recovery package introduced yesterday by Democrats in the House of Representatives. Each institute and center at NIH would be asked to identify “real scientific challenges that they are facing,” according to Acting NIH Director Raynard Kington. “Scientists would apply through a relatively quick process, to receive $500,000 a year for 2 years, to make progress in designated areas.” The grants could be extended for a longer time, Kington says, “depending on funding."
The challenge grants would be funded by a $1.5 billion pot for research created by the House bill. To avoid the boom-and-bust cycle that NIH has experienced in the past decade, half the money would be disbursed this year and the other half in 2010. "Funds will be allocated by competitive peer review to universities nationwide, as is current NIH funding, and to NIH intramural research," explains a report accompanying the bill. "Since NIH is currently able to support less than 20% of approved applications, it will be able to disburse this funding without delay through its regular grant cycles.”
NIH was also given $1.5 billion for short-term renovation projects and
To read more: http://blogs.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2009/01/nihs-bounty-spl.html
NIH's Bounty Split Between Bricks and Basic Science
Biomedical researchers will have the chance to apply for quick-hit, $1 million challenge grants as part of the funding that the National Institutes of Health is slated to receive under the proposed economic recovery package introduced yesterday by Democrats in the House of Representatives. Each institute and center at NIH would be asked to identify “real scientific challenges that they are facing,” according to Acting NIH Director Raynard Kington. “Scientists would apply through a relatively quick process, to receive $500,000 a year for 2 years, to make progress in designated areas.” The grants could be extended for a longer time, Kington says, “depending on funding."
The challenge grants would be funded by a $1.5 billion pot for research created by the House bill. To avoid the boom-and-bust cycle that NIH has experienced in the past decade, half the money would be disbursed this year and the other half in 2010. "Funds will be allocated by competitive peer review to universities nationwide, as is current NIH funding, and to NIH intramural research," explains a report accompanying the bill. "Since NIH is currently able to support less than 20% of approved applications, it will be able to disburse this funding without delay through its regular grant cycles.”
NIH was also given $1.5 billion for short-term renovation projects and
To read more: http://blogs.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2009/01/nihs-bounty-spl.html
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