Independent status for new researchers is theme of National Research Council report

Independent status for new researchers is theme of National Research Council report

NIH should encourage independence among biomedical postdoctoral and other early-career researchers by restricting the length of the postdoctoral position to five years and providing more grants for young researchers that are separate from the typical "R01" grants given to principal investigators, according to a report released March 18 by the National Research Council.

Thomas Cech, PhD, Nobel laureate and head of the Howard Hughes Medical Research Institute chaired the report committee. Dr. Cech noted that a “crisis of expectation” may be driving young scientists away from academic positions and stifling creative directions for research.

The report recommends that the NIH enforce a five-year time limit on postdoctoral funding; modify the "RO1" grant applications to clarify mentorship responsibilities; replace the "K22" career-transition awards with an agency-wide grant program for scientists moving into their first independent investigator positions; and create a "New Investigator R01" award that focuses on previous work experience rather than previous research findings.

Look at the full report at "Bridges to Independence: Fostering the Independence of New Investigators in Biomedical Research," and press release.

Sources: AAMC STAT, March 21, 2005, and HABIT E-Newsletter, Vol. 8, No. 4, April 6, 2005