by Chris Yarosh
This past
March, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) announced a new
funding mechanism designed to stabilize the biomedical research
enterprise by creating new career paths for PhD-level scientists. That
mechanism, called the NCI Research Specialist Award
(R50), is now live. Applications (of which there will likely be many) for the R50 will be
accepted beginning in January, with the first crop of directly-funded Research
Specialists starting in October 2016. More details about the grant can be
found in the newly released FOA.
Why is this a
big deal? In recent years, there have been increased calls for reform of the
biomedical enterprise. More people than ever hold PhDs,
and professor positions (the traditional career goal of doctorate holders) are scarce. This leaves many young researchers
trapped somewhere in the middle in postdoctoral positions, something we've talked about before on this blog. These positions are
still considered to be training positions, and without professor openings (or
funding for independent labs), these scientists often
seek industry positions or leave the bench altogether in lieu of finding
academic employment.
On the flip
side, modern academic labs are highly dependent on a constant stream of graduate
students and postdocs to do the lion’s share of the research funded by
principal investigator-level grants (R01s). This creates a situation where
entire labs can turn over in relatively short periods of time, possibly
diminishing the impact of crucial research programs.
But what if
there was another way? That, in a nutshell, is the aim of the R50. By funding
the salaries (but not the research costs) of PhD-level researchers, the R50
seeks to create opportunities for scientists to join established research
programs or core facilities without having to obtain larger grants or
academic appointments. This attempts to kill two birds with one stone: more
jobs for PhDs, less turnover in labs already funded by other NCI grants.
This approach
is not all roses, however. For one, this doesn’t change the fact that
research funding has been flat or worse in recent years. Even with more stable
staffing, the amount of research being completed will continue to atrophy.
Moreover, the money for future R50s will need to come from somewhere, and it is
possible that this will put additional strain on the NCI’s budget if overall
R&D spending is not increased soon. Lastly, there are some concerns about
how the R50 will work in practice. For example, Research Specialists will be
able to move to other labs with NCI approval, but how will this actually play out? Will
R50s really be pegged to their recipients, or will there be an implicit
understanding that they are tied to the supporting labs/institutions?
It should be noted
that this is only a trial period, and that full evaluation of the program will
not be possible until awards are actually made. Still, this seems like a
positive response to the forces currently influencing the biomedical research
enterprise, and it will be interesting to see if and when the other NIH
institutes give something like this a shot.