Based on the recommendations of the Advisory Committee to the NIH Director (ACD), NIH will increase annual pay levels of recipients of the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA). For fiscal year (FY) 2024, predoctoral scholars will receive $28,224, an increase of approximately 4%, and postdoctoral scholars will receive pay beginning at $61,008, a rise of 8%, increasing based on number of years of experience. Although these levels fall short of the recommendation by the ACD, NIH has stated that they intend to continue increasing these levels over the next 5 years. NIH indicated that these pay increases are likely to result in a smaller number of NRSA awards, especially given the flat funding levels NIH received for FY 2024.

Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, NIH Director, stated, “this revision of pay levels for NRSA recipients is just a first step toward reaffirming their value and ensuring they are appropriately compensated, and I am hopeful these continued efforts help us attract and retain our nation’s brightest scientific minds.”

In addition to the increase in annual pay, eligible NRSA recipients will receive an extra $500 for childcare expenses and an extra $200 for expenses related to their training.

In 2022, the Advisory Committee to the NIH Director (ACD) was directed to form a working group (WG) on “Re-envisioning NIH-Supported Postdoctoral Training.” Its charge was to evaluate whether the evidence confirms the perceived shortage of PhDs seeking postdocs, examine the scope and factors influencing the shortage, consider ways to increase support and retention of postdocs in the U.S., and develop recommendations for enhancing and re-envisioning the postdoctoral experience. The ACD WG released its final recommendations in December 2023 which can be read in the final report. NIH Director Monica Bertagnolli, M.D., officially accepted the recommendations in April 2024.

The follow-up RFI released by NIH in July 2024 seeks information specifically about the implementation of three recommendations:
• “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.
• Recommendation 2.2 . Revise the K99/R00 mechanism to focus on ideas and creativity over productivity.” (by limiting eligibility window to within first 2 years of postdoctoral experience)
• “Recommendation 4. Promote training and professional development of postdoctoral scholars and their mentors.”

AAI will submit comments in response to the RFI in advance of the October 23, 2024, deadline. AAI welcomes feedback from members and will consider any input received in its response. If you would like to share your thoughts, please email AAI Senior Science Policy Analyst Emily Kansler, Ph.D. (a href="mailto:"ekansler@aai.org">ekansler@aai.org).

NIH is particularly interested in hearing from graduate students, postdocs, early career researchers, and faculty involved in education/career development programs, and individual researchers are invited to response directly to NIH via this electronic form.

On July 10, the House Appropriations Committee approved its Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) Appropriations bill for fiscal year (FY) 2025. The bill includes $48.6 billion for NIH [including $500 million for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H)], and dramatically changes the structure of NIH by consolidating and reducing the number of NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) from 27 to 15. The House committee approved the bill by a 31-25 party-line vote, with all Republicans voting in favor of passage. Several weeks later, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved its FY 2025 Labor-HHS appropriations bill, by a vote of 25-3, in strong bipartisan fashion. The bill includes $50.35 billion for NIH (including $1.5 billion for ARPA-H) and does not include provisions to reorganize the agency.

Prior to House Appropriations Committee passage, the bill was approved (by voice vote) by the House Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee. In response to the subcommittee’s action, AAI Committee on Public Affairs (CPA) Chair Cherié Butts, Ph.D. (AAI ’01), issued a statement on behalf of AAI expressing disappointment with the overall funding level approved for NIH and concern about the reorganization provisions.

The Senate Labor-HHS bill, as approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee, is more favorable to NIH in terms of funding and does not restructure NIH. It includes modest funding increases for most NIH ICs, including a $130 million funding increase for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. AAI signed a community letter to key Senate appropriators thanking them for advancing bipartisan legislation to significantly increase NIH funding in FY 2025.

FY 2025 begins on October 1, 2024, and none of the full-year annual appropriations bills have been enacted. As a result, Congress approved a continuing resolution (CR) that will fund the federal government at last year's funding levels through December 20, 2024. The CR, which passed the House 341-82 and the Senate 78-18 on September 25, is expected to be expeditiously signed into law by President Biden.

The first session, entitled, “What It Will Take to End Cancer as We Know It: Opportunities and Realities in Cancer Research,” featured Dr. W. Kimryn Rathmell, Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), who delivered an engaging presentation outlining her vision and goals for NCI. She discussed the “next era” of cancer research, the role of artificial intelligence in advancing this field, and how NCI is navigating the challenging funding landscape for FY 2024.

Drs. Diehl and Ehrlich posed several broad questions, including how NCI determines priority areas, the nature of conversations with Congress, and the most exciting areas of cancer research currently. Dr. Rathmell explained that the NCI prioritizes investigator-initiated research and funding research project grants. She noted that Congress has been uniformly positive and supportive of innovation that spurs economic growth. Dr. Rathmell highlighted the “game changing” advancements in cellular therapies for solid tumors as particularly exciting. The session concluded with Dr. Rathmell addressing a range of questions from the audience.

The second policy session, “National Institutes of Health: Simplifying the Review of Research Project Grant Applications,” featured Dr. Ross Shonat, Director of the Division of Physiological and Pathological Sciences at the NIH Center for Scientific Review. Dr. Shonat discussed NIH’s current initiative to simplify the peer review framework for research project grant applications. He explained how the existing review criteria will be reorganized in a way that will help reviewers focus on the key questions needed to assess the scientific merit of applications: can and should the proposed research be conducted? Dr. Shonat also described how these changes may also help to reduce the potential for reputational bias in review. The new framework will take effect for most research project grant applications with due dates on or after January 25, 2025. Learn more at https://grants.nih.gov/policy/peer/simplifying-review.htm.

On November 16, President Biden signed a continuing resolution (CR) into law, averting a possible federal government shutdown. The CR maintains funding at fiscal year (FY) 2023 levels. Unlike most CRs, however, it is two-tiered, extending funding appropriated by four of the annual appropriations bills through January 19, 2024, and by the other eight annual appropriations bills through February 2, 2024.

Funding for federal agencies and programs supported by the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill, which includes the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is extended through February 2. Under the CR, funding for NIH remains flat at ~$47.5 billion.

Congress has yet to approve any of its 12 annual appropriations bills, necessitating the enactment of these CRs. While the latest spending bill temporarily keeps the federal government open, sharp political divisions and significant disagreements over spending levels persist on Capitol Hill. As a result, approving full-year spending bills for FY 2024 remains an uphill climb.

Although a CR is much less damaging to federal agencies, like NIH, than a government shutdown, it still creates a great deal of uncertainty. Under a CR, NIH Institutes and Centers set conservative paylines, often issue non-competing research grant awards at a reduced level (generally 90% of the previously committed level) and are unable to start new activities that were not funded in the previous fiscal year. For more, please see the October 4 NIH Notice entitled, “NIH Operates Under a Continuing Resolution.”

On November 9, AAI hosted a webinar on the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) entitled, “ARPA-H: Funding Opportunities for Immunologists.” The event was chaired and moderated by CPA member Cherié Butts, Ph.D. (AAI ’01), and featured remarks by two distinguished speakers:
* Susan Monarez, Ph.D., Deputy Director, ARPA-H
*Paul de Figueiredo, Ph.D. (AAI ’18), NextGen Precision Health Endowed Professor of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, University of Missouri

Dr. Monarez provided a broad overview of ARPA-H covering topics such as the types of funding mechanisms used, how the review process works, and how to become either a Program Manager or a performer (a member of a team funded by ARPA-H). Dr. de Figueiredo, one of the very first ARPA-H awardees, talked about his personal experiences applying for funding from ARPA-H and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and some of the lessons he has learned along the way.

The full webinar recording, including the robust Q&A session that followed the formal remarks, can be accessed here.

AAI participated in the 11th annual Rally for Medical Research Capitol Hill Day (“Rally Hill Day”) in September. Rally Hill Day brings together a wide range of stakeholders including academic researchers, those working in industry, and patients, to advocate for the shared goal of increasing NIH funding. This year’s Rally Hill Day featured more than 250 participants from 35 states. AAI has co-sponsored the event and sent representatives every year since its inception.

AAI member Rebecca Pompano, Ph.D. (AAI ’14), an associate professor at the University of Virginia, traveled to D.C. to meet with the Virginia congressional delegation. She was joined in these meetings by AAI Director of Government Affairs Jake Schumacher and a number of other advocates from her state. Although the NIH “asks” were well received, congressional offices did caution about the challenges of providing increased NIH funding this year.

A reception to celebrate medical research, held the prior day featured remarks by Senator (and 2013 AAI Public Service Awardee) Dick Durbin (D-IL) and then-NIH Acting Deputy Director Tara Schwetz, Ph.D. Dr. Schwetz spoke with Dr. Pompano, Schumacher, and other reception attendees after her presentation.