New NIH Award Supports Early-Stage Investigators

By: Jacqueline Robinson-Hamm
Wednesday, November 18, 2020

On November 9, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published two funding opportunity announcements for the Stephen I. Katz Early Investigator Research Project Grant program — one requiring basic research with human subjects and one for studies that do not involve clinical trials. Both awards are R01 grants to support early-stage investigators (ESIs) pursuing a new research direction for up to five years. No preliminary data are permitted during submission. Banning preliminary data allows ESIs to be creative in exploring novel lines of scientific inquiry and fosters independence in new areas of research.

A primary goal of the NIH Next Generation Researchers Initiative is to increase funding for ESIs. FASEB has voiced strong support for this goal in the past and has been eagerly awaiting implementation of the Katz award. Named for Stephen I. Katz, MD, PhD, late Director of National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases, this award honors Dr. Katz’s commitment to training the next generation of scientists.

The first due date is January 26, 2021, with anticipated first awards made in December 2021. Additional information can be found in a recent Open Mike blog post.