July 25, 2024
Office of The Director, National Institutes of Health (OD)
NIH is issuing a follow-up Request for Information (RFI) as part of its effort to gauge feedback from the biomedical research community to inform implementation of recommendations from the Advisory Committee to the Director on re-envisioning NIH-supported postdoctoral training.
NIH established an Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) Working Group on Re-Envisioning NIH-Supported Postdoctoral Training (ACD Postdoctoral WG) to explore the status of the postdoctoral training system, identify and understand critical factors and issues relating to the perceived decline in the number of postdoctoral scholars, and to provide recommendations to address these factors. As part of this ACD-led effort, community input on the status of the postdoctoral training system was encouraged through four listening sessions and through a February 2023 Request for Information (RFI): Re-envisioning U.S. Postdoctoral Research Training and Career Progression within the Biomedical Research Enterprise (NOT-OD-23-084).
Input was received from various members of the biomedical research community, including early-stage investigators, biomedical faculty, training directors, postdoctoral and graduate student office leaders, biotech/biopharma industry scientists, and research education program advocates. Results from the public listening sessions and the RFI released on February 14, 2023 captured a wide range of topics related to postdoctoral scholar issues and challenges, including lack of adequate salary and standard benefits, poor job satisfaction, lack of opportunities in academic careers, negative work culture and the need for high-quality mentorship. Additionally, respondents provided diverse suggestions for changes to existing NIH policies, resources and programs, including the expansion of NIH funding opportunities that can address postdoctoral scholar research and career development goals. Based on feedback, the ACD Postdoctoral WG issued six (6) high level recommendations:
NIH would like to thank those who responded to our initial Request for Information (RFI) on Re-envisioning U.S. Postdoctoral Research Training and Career Progression within the Biomedical Research Enterprise. Please see the full ACD Postdoctoral Scholar WG report at – https://acd.od.nih.gov/documents/presentations/12152023_Postdoc_Working_Group_Report.pdf
Action Taken to Date
On April 23, 2024, NIH released NOT-OD-24-104, Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Stipends, Tuition/Fees and Other Budgetary Levels Effective for Fiscal Year 2024. The Notice announced increases of 8% and 4%, respectively, of stipends for post-doctoral and pre-doctoral NRSA participants. As mentioned in the Notice, NIH is being responsive, as much as possible given the constrained budget environment, to the Advisory Committee to the Director Working Group on Re-Envisioning NIH-Supported Postdoctoral Training report recommendations. In fact, FY 2024 stipend levels for predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees and fellows represents the largest year-over-year increase in recent history. We are committed to reaching the $70,000 recommendation over the next 3–4 years, as appropriations allow. NIH issued a news release coincident with the issuance of NOT-OD-24-104.
As a follow-up to NIHs ongoing efforts to better support the postdoctoral scholar workforce, NIH is issuing this follow-up RFI to gain public input on how NIH might most effectively implement certain recommendations developed by the ACD Postdoctoral WG to address current challenges affecting the postdoctoral trainee community. NIH is particularly interested in receiving input from trainees ( e.g., graduate students, postdocs), as well as early-stage investigators, biomedical faculty, training directors, postdoctoral and graduate student office leaders, biotech/biopharma industry scientists, and research education program advocates. NIH encourages organizations (e.g., patient advocacy groups, professional societies) to submit a single response reflective of the views of the organization or its membership. While NIH is requesting input on the specific recommendations listed below, we continue to explore implementation of all other recommendations submitted as a part of the ACD WG Report. Please note that response fields are limited to 200 words.
Recommendation 1.3 Limit the total number of years a person can be supported by NIH funds in a postdoctoral position to no more than 5 years.
Description: Input received by the ACD WG, via public comment and listening sessions, identified that ill-defined, excessively long postdoctoral appointments are a key career development obstacle delaying career progression for postdoctoral scholars. While current NIH policy states that individuals may receive no more than 3 years of aggregate NRSA support at the postdoctoral level, there is no limitation on aggregate support for postdoctoral scholars supported on other types of NIH grants. To further support NIHs continued efforts to promote greater structure to the postdoctoral training process and promote more timely transition of postdoctoral scholars into their next career stages, the ACD WG has recommended that NIH funding should not be used to support postdoctoral scholars beyond five years, including time spent in different host institutions and any changes in funding support. Beyond five years, postdoctoral scholars must be transitioned to new positions, with defined roles, responsibilities and compensation that are beyond the role of postdoctoral scholar. While research project timelines differ across fields, setting a uniform upper limit on years of support is intended to reduce the time that postdoctoral scholars spend in the postdoc phase and encourage more timely career transition.
Input Requested:
Recommendation 2.2 Revise the K99/R00 mechanism to focus on ideas and creativity over productivity.
Description: The NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) was created to assist postdoctoral researchers to complete needed, mentored training and promote the timely transition to independent tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty positions while also providing research funding to support to the launch of their independent research careers. Currently, K99 applicants can have no more than 4 years postdoctoral research experience at the time of application to be eligible to apply. The research community expressed concern that K99 applications containing more evidence of demonstrated research accomplishment and productivity (lots of research results and publications) score better in review and were more likely to be funded. This perception may drive early career investigators to remain in the postdoctoral phase longer in order to generate more data. To facilitate more rapid transition of postdoctoral scholars that do not require more extended periods of mentored research training and focus review of K99 applications on creative ideas and research potential (vs productivity) of applicants, the ACD WG recommended that the K99/R00 eligibility window be limited to the first 2 years of postdoctoral experience and that NIH should adapt review and award processes and policies to ensure a broader range of early career investigators benefit from the award.
Input Requested:
Recommendation 4. Promote training and professional development of postdoctoral scholars and their mentors.
Description: Career and professional development training (which can include leadership, teaching, mentorship, grant writing, lab management and other skills) are critical components of the postdoctoral experience and are defining elements of academic science training. Public comments received by the ACD postdoc RFI and listening sessions indicate that postdoc scholars have difficulty pursuing these training opportunities due to pressure to focus solely on research during work hours. Based on this feedback, the NIH ACD WG recommended that institutions should: (1) ensure that postdoctoral scholars receive career and professional development opportunities as an integrated, measured component of the postdoctoral experience that occupies a minimum average of 10% of a postdoctoral scholars effort, (2) create policies and resources to ensure equitable access to this training and (3) require regular training and for individuals serving in the mentor role to postdoctoral scholars mentor (and for postdocs themselves).
Input Requested:
All comments must be submitted electronically on the submission website - https://rfi.grants.nih.gov/?s=6660cc1aa1264f88920cf122.
Responses must be received by 11:59:59 pm (ET) on October 23, 2024.
Responses to this RFI are voluntary and may be submitted anonymously. Please do not include any personally identifiable information or any information that you do not wish to make public. Proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should not be included in your response. NIH will use the information submitted in response to this RFI at its discretion. NIH reserves the right to use any submitted information on public websites, in reports, in summaries of the state of the science, in any possible resultant solicitation(s), grant(s), or cooperative agreement(s), or in the development of future funding opportunity announcements. This RFI is for informational and planning purposes only and is not a solicitation for applications or an obligation on the part of the Government to provide support for any ideas identified in response to it. Please note that the Government will not pay for the preparation of any information submitted or for use of that information.
We look forward to your input and hope that you will share this RFI opportunity with your colleagues.
Please direct all inquiries to:
Email: reenvisionpostdoc@nih.gov