Notice Number: NOT-OD-10-039

Update: The following update relating to this announcement has been issued:

• April 25, 2011 - See Notice NOT-OD-11-068 This Notice provides guidance about the NIH Fiscal Operations Plan for FY 2011 and implements the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act of 2011 (P.L. 112-10).

Key Dates
Release Date: January 8, 2010

Issued by
National Institutes of Health (NIH), (http://www.nih.gov)

This Notice provides guidance about the NIH Fiscal Operations Plan for FY 2010 and it implements the FY 2010 enacted Omnibus Appropriation Act that provided NIH with $31.0 billion or 2.3 percent more than FY 2009 funding. The NIH will continue to manage its portfolio of investments in biomedical research in a manner similar to that described in the FY 2009 Fiscal Policy Notice (see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-09-066.html). This includes continuing to address the need for a highly productive pool of researchers by providing support for new investigators.

The following NIH fiscal policies are instituted in FY 2010:

Non-Competing Research Awards: Non-Competing Research Awards: The FY 2010 appropriation as specified in P.L. 111-117 provides NIH a 2 percent inflation allowance to NIH investments in research supported by research grants. Implementation requires a reduction to previously established commitments, based on a 3 percent inflation allowance. Accordingly, each Institute and Center (IC) will use its own discretion to allocate the adjustment among its non-competing research grants (modular and non-modular) to ensure compliance with the 2 percent inflation allowance provided in its FY 2010 committed level. Future year commitments will be adjusted accordingly. This policy does not apply to projects supported by the Recovery Act, Career Awards, SBIR/STTRs, and Ruth L. Kirschstein-National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Fellowships & Institutional Training Grants.

Competing Research Awards: Each NIH Institute and Center (IC) will manage its competing portfolio using funds that have not been committed for non-competing awards. Consistent with the FY 2010 appropriation, the FY 2010 average cost of competing grants is allowed to increase by 2 percent over FY 2009 when compared to similar policies. It is estimated this will allow ICs to support the NIH investigator pool with approximately 9,200 new and competing RPGs. The following guidelines will apply to competing research awards in FY 2010:

1. Support new investigators on R01 equivalent awards at success rates equivalent to that of established investigators submitting new R01 equivalent applications. Achievement of comparable success rates should permit the NIH to support 1,650 or more new investigators in accordance with the policy established in FY 2009 and described at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-09-013.html.

2. Continue to use The NIH Director's Innovator Awards within the Common Fund (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/rfa-rm-09-011.html) and NIH Pathway to Independence Awards (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-10-063.html) as previously described.

3. As specified in the Omnibus Appropriations Act, the NIH Directors Bridge Award Program described at (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-09-068.html) will be suspended in FY 2010. Some NIH Institutes and Centers may continue to use Bridge Awards from their own appropriations to provide limited support for meritorious projects that were close to but outside the funding range.

Each IC will establish fiscal policies consistent with these NIH-wide policies according to its specific scientific and programmatic imperatives. Additional information on FY2010 Fiscal Operations, including specific funding strategies for ICs will be posted at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/financial/index.htm.

Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA): NIH will support a 1 percent increase at all stipend levels.

Inquiries

Questions about specific awards may be directed to the Grants Management Specialist identified in the Notice of Award.