NIH Tells Universities to Pay More for Graduate Training

Abstract

The NIH Ruth Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) program, which supports more than 17,000 PhD students and postdoctoral fellows, primarily through institutional training grants, is facing a fiscal crunch, according to a report in Science, December 9, 2005. The report notes that National Institutes of Health officials have told universities they must shoulder more of the costs of training the next generation of biomedical scientists, or face a decline in the number of graduate students and postdoctoral trainees that NIH supports. NIH currently provides the major share of trainees’ tuition, paying the first $3000 plus 60% of the remainder, and covers a share of each trainee’s health insurance. But the Science journal report points out that steadily rising tuition and health care costs, along with a flat budget, will move NIH to transfer more of the burden to universities or reduce the number of NRSA trainees. Without an increase in program funding, NIH has projected a loss of 4000 training positions by 2015. NIH says it is considering 3 options: (1) retain the existing formula by capping the reimbursable amount at $16,000 to $18,000, roughly the current average subsidy; (2) a fixed allowance capped at $16,000 to $18,000; (3) continue the current policy, staying on budget by squeezing both the number of institutional grants and the number of trainees per grant. A decision by NIH is expected by spring. Deputy director for extramural research Dr. Norka Ruiz Bravo views prudent policy as requiring “an appropriate balance between training budgets and the funds available for research support. However,” she acknowledges, “an annual loss in training positions would threaten the stability of ongoing programs and impede consideration of training programs in new and emerging scientific fields.”