Age at First R01-Equivalent Award Remains Stable Since FY21

As part of NIH's ongoing efforts to provide transparency into funding trends, updated NIH data show the median age at which investigators receive their first R01-equivalent award remains around 42 years of age through fiscal year (FY) 2025. This extends the pattern of a plateaued age seen for several years, after substantive increases through the 1990s and 2000s (see these archived NIH Extramural Nexus articles from 2021 and 2024).

We continue to monitor this metric as one of several indicators of investigators' transition to research independence. Supporting early career researchers, who often have newer and more high-risk ideas, remains a priority for NIH.

Table 1 summarizes the age of investigators when receiving their first R01-equivalent grant for FY21-25. We focus on the median age here as it is less influenced by relatively small numbers of investigators receiving first awards later in their careers. Additional notes about the data are available below before the tables.

• The median age remained approximately 42 years across FY21-25.
• Mean age also changed little during this period, remaining near 43-44 years.
• The number of first-time R01-equivalent awardees declined in FY25 relative to previous years, in part due to NIH fully funding more research project grants (see more on our By The Numbers and Early Stage Investigator Nexus posts from several months ago). 

Table 2 presents these data disaggregated by terminal degree over the past five fiscal years. Overall, median ages within each degree category changed little across FY21-25.

• Ph.D. investigators consistently had a median age of 41 years at their first R01-equivalent award. They also accounted for around three-quarters of first-time R01-equivalent awardees every year.
• M.D. investigators had median ages of 43-45 years, while M.D.-Ph.D. investigators had median ages of 44-45 years.
• Investigators in the Other degree category had the highest median ages, ranging from 46-47 years.
• Clinician scientists consistently receive first awards several years later than Ph.D. investigators between 43-45 years of age.
• The gap between physician-scientists and Ph.D. investigators has remained stable over time, suggesting the difference may reflect additional clinical training needs before reaching research independence.

Next, we will focus on ages disaggregated by the NIH grant type (or activity code) in Table 3. Some notable differences in these grant types likely reflect the particular goals and intended career stages for these programs. 

• DP1, DP2, DP5, and R35 awards had lower median ages than traditional R01 awards throughout the period, which was expected as these are generally targeted to researchers earlier in their career.
• Median age for first R01 awards remained consistently 43 years across FY21-25.
• U01 awards generally had among the highest median ages (46-49 years).
• Year-to-year fluctuations should be interpreted cautiously because some grant types support relatively small numbers of investigators.

Additional Notes Related to the Data:

• Here we refer to investigators receiving awards for simplicity, but recognize that NIH makes R01-equivalent awards to institutions (not individual researchers).
• R01-equivalent activity codes include R01, R37, RF1, R56, DP2, DP1, DP5, RL1, U01, and R35.
• Degree and age (obtained from birthdays) are self-reported and may change if the investigator identifies an error or decides to have it removed.
• “Ph.D.” includes Doctor of Philosophy and equivalent research doctorates such as Sc.D., D.Sc., Dr.P.H., and D.Phil.
• “M.D.” includes Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery, and other equivalent medical degrees.
• “Other” includes all other reported terminal degrees, including dental, veterinary, and master's and bachelor's degrees.
• First-time recipients of R01-equivalent awards include those program directors/principal investigators (PDs/PIs) who have not previously competed successfully as PD/PI for a substantial NIH independent research award.
• These data include analyses of awards made with direct budget authority, not special appropriations.