Abstract
Recent data highlights an imbalance in research grant success among groups underrepresented within the biomedical workforce, including racial/ethnic minorities and women. However, there is no data on grant success for researchers with disabilities.For these analyses, aggregate data on self-reported disability status for National Institute on Health (NIH) research grant applicants and awardees was obtained from 2008 to 2018, including disability category: mobility/orthopedic, hearing, visual disabilities, and other disabilities. The percentage of applications and awards, as well as grant success rates (% of applicants receiving awards), by Principal Investigators (PIs) disability status were calculated. Data was desegregated, and logistic models determined trend of applicants reporting disability over time. The percentage of NIH grant applicants with PIs reporting a disability significantly declined from 1.9% in 2008, to 1.2% in 2018 (p<0.001). Data on grant awardees was similar, 1.9% of awards in 2008, declining to 1.2% in 2018 (p<0.001) had PIs reporting a disability. Across all years, the percentage of applications and awards with PIs reporting visual disabilities was lower than the percentage reporting mobility/orthopedic, or hearing disabilities (16.5%, 34.2%, and 37.8% in 2008, respectively). Overall grant success rates differed by disability status (27.2% for those reporting disability vs 29.7% in those reporting no disability, p<0.001). The lowest overall grant success rate was among PIs reporting unknown disability status or who withheld this status (18.6%). These results underscore the underrepresentation of researchers with disabilities among grant applicants and awardees, and indicate lower grant success rates among PIs reporting disabilities.
Highlights
Calls for greater diversity in science and medicine have been strengthened by recent data highlighting an imbalance in research grant success among groups underrepresented within the biomedical workforce, including women [1,2,3,4] and racial/ethnic minorities [5,6,7]
Recent data highlights an imbalance in research grant success among groups underrepresented within the biomedical workforce, including racial/ethnic minorities and women, amplifying the need to consider the career and research implications of being a minority in these settings [1,2,3,4,5], yet there are no reports on grant success for researchers with disabilities
Our results indicate a need to examine the factors driving the potential increase in the percentage of Principal Investigators (PIs) disclosing disability, in contrast to the low success rates for PIs reporting unknown disability status or who withheld reporting disability status
Summary
Calls for greater diversity in science and medicine have been strengthened by recent data highlighting an imbalance in research grant success among groups underrepresented within the biomedical workforce, including women [1,2,3,4] and racial/ethnic minorities [5,6,7]. Federal funding agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) maintain a commitment to attracting and retaining candidates from.
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