Thursday, September 2, 2010

2009 NIH Proposal Success Rates by Institute

Try not to depress yourself too much be reading this, but here are the hard numbers. This link will bring you to list that includes a breakdown of success rates for 2009 by NIH institute. Selecting a particular institute will bring you to a breakdown by activity code per institute. The highest overall success rate, which is still frightening, was NHGRI with 34.4%. The lowest was NCCAM with 12.1%.

When it comes to science, Leno just doesn't get it

Last night, I watched the Tonight Show monologue as I usually do before bed. Jay Leno did his usual bits about current news topics, joked about Paris Hilton's cocaine arrest, etc. Then he asked the audience to decide whether the project "Studying Stoned Monkeys" was a government-funded project or a "wise-ass student" project. The audience seemed to find it hilarious that it was actually a government-funded research project.

I took to the NIH RePORTER database to try to find the project that Leno was poking fun at. I found one NIH-funded R01 study based at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio (Lance R. McMahon, PI) that may be the basis for Leno's joke. The study, "Pharmacotherapy of Cannabinoid Withdrawal: Pre-Clinical Studies" aims to use pre-clinical symptoms of cannabinoid (marijuana) withdrawal in primates to find pharmacotherapies that may help to prevent withdrawal symptoms and help to decrease dependence on marijuana. Yes, referring to the project as "Studying Stoned Monkeys" is quite funny. (Imagine seeing that as the proposal title in a review session?) However, this really is an important study with public health implications. Leno's joke at the expense of this project shows just how little the general public knows and understands the science that is funded by taxpayer dollars. The NIH Public Access Policy was a step in the right direction. Now the public has access to manuscripts of publications resulting from all recent NIH-funded projects. However, the relevance of these projects needs to be more widely conveyed, in terms that individuals with non-scientific backgrounds can understand. The New York Times and other publications seem to do a great job of bringing current research into the mainstream media. It is my hope that other news publications will follow suit. How amazing would it be if, alongside photos of major celebrities, People Magazine profiled a new researcher every week? It might happen....as long as that researcher looks good in a bathing suit...

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Creating an interdisciplinary research team using the R13 mechanism

As lines between many fields become more blurred, it is becoming more important to include interdisciplinary teams of researchers on grant proposals. Having a variety of perspectives and backgrounds included not only enhances your proposal, but also contributes to your research in important ways. For example, your background in psychology might cause you to look at various external factors shaping a particular type of behavior, while a neuroscientist may look at the factors in the brain related to this behavior, and a geneticist may look at inherited genes related to the behavior. All of these perspectives are important, and together can help to create a project that is able to examine many factors contributing to the particular behavior. In other words, creating a multidisciplinary team allows you to look at the same problem in ways you may never have imagined. Working together allows for exchange of ideas, intellectual debate, and unified theories that are useful across disciplines.

So, now that you understand that this is important, consider ways that you may be able to reach outside of your comfort zone and begin to work with scientists in related but different fields. One way that you might begin to engage in discussions and work toward applying for funding for joint research projects is to set up meetings. NIH recently released an RFA that will fund this type of meeting. The RFA-CA-10-017 uses the R13 mechanism to fund scientific meetings that are designed to build collaborations between researchers in basic behavioral and social science research. The grants are capped at $50,000 in direct costs per year for a maximum of 2 years. Not a researcher in the social and behavioral sciences? Don't worry, PA-10-016 also includes researchers in the life and physical sciences, as well as behavioral and social sciences researchers. This opportunity has a budget cap of $25,000 in direct costs per year for a maximum of 2 years.

NIH will pay your student loans

For some reason this is a well-kept secret, but NIH has several programs that will assist you with payment of your student loans. One program is currently accepting applications through November 15th. The NIH Extramural Loan Repayment Program is open to researchers in biomedical and related sciences. The five LRP options that are currently accepting applications include:
  1. Clinical Research
  2. Health Disparities Research
  3. Pediatric Research
  4. Clinical Research for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds
  5. Contraception and Infertility Research
These programs have specific eligibility requirements. You must be currently conducting specific types of research at a U.S. nonprofit institution. Read the instructions and eligibility requirements carefully. If you are lucky enough to receive an LRP award from NIH, it will pay up to $35,000 per year of your qualified student loan debt. For that kind of financial assistance, it is worth filling out the application!

Applying for funding using stem cells? Think again.

On August 23rd a preliminary injunction was issued that has effectively put a stop to all new funding for stem cell related NIH research. If you were planning to submit a proposal that includes stem cell research, you should not submit it at this time, as your proposal can not be reviewed or funded. You are better off waiting until the Spring deadlines, after a decision will likely have been made. To read the NIH announcement of this issue and its related procedures visit this link. According to the announcement, it appears that currently funded projects can continue to spend money and work with stem cell data.