Investigator-Initiated Basic Grants Author: Lee Katterman
At a time when biotechnology and some pharmaceutical companies are working hard to finance research and product development, a small number of firms are tapping a pot of federal money generally thought to support only projects led by academic scientists. Some industry officials value this source of support for studies a company might not otherwise be able to afford, while others avoid it because of the strings that come with it.
SEPARATE REALMS: James Paulson of Cytel Corp. takes pains to differentiate his grant-related and company projects. The money in question comes from the nearly $4 billion awarded annually by the National Institutes of Health to support the thousands of individual, curiosity-driven research projects proposed by scientists and physicians. These funds are disbursed via "traditional" research grants-known as "R01s," after the prefix attached to each grant identification number- that pay for the basic biomedical ...
