FASEB Responds to NIH Postdoctoral Training RFI

Wednesday, October 9, 2024
On October 9, FASEB responded to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) request for information (RFI) on re-envisioning U.S. postdoctoral research training and career progression in the biomedical research field. The RFI seeks feedback from the biomedical community on implementing three recommendations from the December 2023 report by the Advisory Committee to the NIH Director. In its comments, FASEB supports limiting NIH support for postdoctoral scholars to a well-defined, short transitionary period toward independence. However, it also highlighted potential challenges and unintended consequences of such limits on the postdoctoral workforce. FASEB expressed concerns that revising the K99/R00 mechanism could worsen existing issues and shared model programs and policies that NIH could promote to improve postdoc mentoring and professional development.