After the federal shutdown is resolved, the NIH will continue to award grant funding for this fiscal year. However, pessimism grows among researchers about their chances for grants in fiscal year 2014.
The past year has been difficult for many academic researchers in medicine. After the sequester, many labs experienced a cut in their approved funding and laid off some of the postdoctoral level scientists. While the data for fiscal year 2013 has not been analyzed, the NIH has estimated that only 14% of grant applications will have been funded. Furthermore, there are an increasing number of applications, making fiercer competition for stagnant dollars.
In comparison, 17.6% of applications were funded in FY 2012. Success rates have been falling since 2003 when nearly 30% of applications were approved for funding. Has this trend finally hit rock bottom? It’s difficult to be optimistic when the diminishing supply of grant dollars has not yet been met with less demand.
A well-known reality is there is a large research workforce that have experienced layoffs and dismal prospects for faculty jobs. The next generation of scientists are welcomed as relatively low-paid labor to contribute to research, gain invaluable experience, and publish in important journals in their field. Yet, after their years of service, the path to independent faculty appointment is not guaranteed. Nor is the usual pathway as more PhD-level graduates find jobs in industry, government, and independent research institutes.
Those working on reform, such as the NIH’s Biomedical Workforce Research Group have suggested such as raising postdoctoral scientist pay and increasing training grants in non-academic science positions. Implementing reforms have stalled, as evidenced by worsening grant success rates and high competition for faculty jobs.
At present, aspiring scientists must make decisions based on their observation of the reality, rather than promises of funding. Inaction in the federal government may have bought time for researchers to develop an exit strategy.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
