The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently released two notices for process improvements aimed at facilitating continuous engagement of scientists early in their careers.
A January 17, 2020, Notice of Special Interest, “Administrative Supplement for Continuity of Biomedical and Behavioral Research among First-Time Recipients of NIH Research Project Grant Awards” (NOT-OD-20-055), is aimed at scientists undergoing major life experiences or shifts and strives to retain such individuals. “This retention program seeks to maintain the productivity of current first-time recipients of eligible independent NIH research project grant awards who are dealing with a critical life event(s),” according to the notice, “to enhance the retention of investigators facing critical life events.” For more information, please see the full text of the notice.
A separate notice (NOT-OD-20-060) distributed on January 24, 2020, and issued by the Center for Scientific Review has put limitations on the current protocol “of granting one-year continuous submission status to reviewers with recent substantial review service.” According to the notice, the current process “[encourages] excessive review service and thus disproportionate influence by some,” and the change identified in this notice is a result of the NIH belief that “diverse advisory groups with a range of familiar and fresh voices best identify high impact research.” Consult the full text of the notice for further details.
