While pondering the impact of a unintended potential consequence of the new NIH approach to grant review (Simplified Peer Review Framework ), I thought of another likely impact. Removing the usual consideration of the Investigator as a criterion that requires bullet point comment on strengths and weakness is pretty clearly motivated by what is seen … … Continue reading →| DrugMonkey
The NIH introduced a revised approach to the peer review of grant applications in the most recent summer review rounds. The Simplified Peer Review Framework has a number of new features, some of which may be more important than others and some which may affect the review of some kinds of proposals more than others. … … Continue reading →| DrugMonkey
I have been a bit obsessed with my discovery that a long standing CSR convened study section went through a bad spell. From 2020-2022, NIH funded only seven new (Type 1) R01 per year that were reviewed in this study section. This was a substantial decline from the 22 and 20 grants funded in the […]| DrugMonkey
I was recently pondering the relative funding rates for amended (aka revised) NIH grant proposals, something I haven’t thought about much in years. It used to be quite a theme around here. I …| DrugMonkey
Chatter on the socials today indicates that the NIH’s Director of the Center for Scientific Review is stepping down. [UPDATE 08/08/2025: NIH Director statement on Byrnes’ retirement.] N…| DrugMonkey
Following up on yesterday’s whinesplaining about the relative difficulty of getting a NIH grant across pertinent career eras, I had some more thoughts on generational expectations and gasligh…| DrugMonkey
There’s a parable about a coyote and a rabbit that ends with the coyote being criticized by a bystander after observing his fruitless chase. The coyote observed, “I was only running for…| DrugMonkey
Among the 187 US institutions described as a R1 for 2025, Howard University has been included for the first time. This is the first Historically Black College or University (HBCU) to achieve this high level of research activity and this is a very welcome bit of news. For those not familiar, the Carnegie rankings are […]| Drugmonkey
Try to account for this when reading up on the constant chaos imposed by the new Administration on the NIH. What I mean by this is not that nobody knows how anything works. It is more that the vast majority of us, from Scientific Review and Program Officers at the NIH, to intramural NIH researchers, […]| Drugmonkey
The concept of “working below credential” is one I have recently picked up from physicians. The medical industry has a business-like focus and it is, I surmise, quite reasonable to talk about how much a physician gets paid per hour of work, how much other employees get paid per hour of work and how to […]| Drugmonkey
[Update: The Chronicle is reporting as of 2/10/2025 that F31-diversity applications have been re-instated to the study sections for review. If true, this is excellent news.] One of the primary NIH training fellowships is the Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award for graduate students, aka, the F31. It is requested with individual […]| Drugmonkey
NIH has issued NOT-OD-25-132 Supporting Fairness and Originality in NIH Research Applications which informs us that NIH will only accept six new, renewal, resubmission, or revision applications fro…| DrugMonkey
I ran across a clip of the current Director of the NIH and the prior Acting Director (and current Principal Deputy Director of the NIH) expressing great concern about scientists in training. As per…| DrugMonkey