As part of the NIH Reform Act, changes will occur in the way graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are reported on training and research awards. These changes are designed to provide NIH, Congress and the public with a more complete picture of NIH research training and the research workforce supported by NIH.

Training Awards
For years, the NIH has maintained a comprehensive collection of data on students and postdoctoral fellows supported by the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) and other programs that permits career outcome studies and other analyses. Effective October 1, institutions who receive NRSA and other NIH training awards must provide the following in their annual progress reports and competing applications:
1.   Percentage of students admitted for study who successfully attain a doctoral degree.
2.   Average time for such students between the beginning of graduate study and receipt of a doctoral degree (NOT-OD-09-141).

In addition, the NIH Reform Act requires that institutions provide this same information to all applicants to doctoral programs supported by NIH training awards. This information will permit prospective graduate students to compare completion rates and time to degree between programs.

NIH has adopted a new Graduate Student Assurance associated with providing this information (NOT-OD-09-141). The new reporting and assurance requirements apply to institutions that receive any of the following mechanisms for the doctoral training of graduate students: D43, TU2, T15, T32, T37, T90, U2R, U90 and U54/TL1.

Research Awards
Beginning with annual progress reports due October 1, NIH grantees are required to report all personnel who participate in a project for at least one-person month, including those in a postdoctoral role (NOT-OD-09-139).  This information will provide a better understanding of how graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty and other personnel contribute to NIH-funded research.

In addition, every individual in a postdoctoral role must have an eRA Commons account (NOT-OD-09-140).  Establishing a Commons account is an essential first step for postdoctorates and early-stage investigators as they prepare to apply for an NIH fellowship, career development award or research grant.
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus, October 2009; NIH Notice NOT-OD-139, http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-09-139.html; NIH Notice NOT-OD-140, http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-09-140.html; NIH Notice NOT-OD-09-141 http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-09-141.html.