Recommendation 6
b. Mid-career, established, and senior investigators: To address the next stage problem, NIH should offer an option for mid-career investigators to apply for funding for an extended term, 7 years, and for well-established investigators, 10 years. These would be short-form applications that emphasize their record of creativity and productivity, coupled with a brief research plan. Finally, for senior investigators approaching the end of active investigation, NIH could pilot a 3-year non-renewable award to support testing a new idea or approach that if successful, would open a new area of investigation for others to pursue. These new funding terms would give researchers who have demonstrated productivity and creativity the freedom to pursue bold ideas instead of continuously preparing grant applications, while reducing administrative burden for investigators and reviewers, their institutions and the NIH. The elevated payline for first-time R01 applications would require only a modest increase in funds, whereas the other changes should save some administrative costs.
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