Funding Briefs

NIH has calculated award rates for its individual research (ROl), career development (RCDA), academic research enhancement (AREA), and Small Business Innovation Research Phase 1 and 2 awards for fiscal year 1988. For the ROl program, the typical grant to an individual investigator, the National Eye Institute had the highest award rate among the 13 institutes, at 46%. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases had the lowest award rate, at 27%. The overall NIH rate for the 13,863 eligible proposals was 34%. The odds are lower for career development awards, however, which go to newly established scientists. The National Institute on Aging led the pack, funding all six of its eligible proposals, while the NIH average for RCDA awards was 55%. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases did best with the AREA awards, which go to scientists at smaller colleges and universities, supporting...