Abstract
In response to stagnant Federal grant funding levels and to catalyze early stage or high-risk research not currently supported by the NIH, many academic medical centers (AMCs) provide supplemental intramural funding to faculty investigators. However, it can be challenging to decide how to deploy these funds for maximum impact. We conducted a retrospective, descriptive analysis to explore trends in applications and awards associated with an institution-wide intramural funding center at a major U.S. AMC. From 2010 to 2017, the Brigham Research Institute at Brigham and Women’s Hospital awarded a total of 354 grants totaling over $9 million to affiliated researchers through six distinct and complementary grant programs. The number of applicants remained essentially stable, despite expansion of the funding program portfolio. Distribution of applicants and awardees by academic rank and gender generally reflected that of medical school faculty at large. This descriptive analysis demonstrates interest in a diverse range of intramural funding programs among AMC faculty, and a lack of overt rank or gender bias in the programs’ awardees. However, it highlights the institution’s need to better understand the amount of residual unmet demand for intramural funding; the degree to which underrepresented constituencies can and should be actively supported; and the “return on investment” of these grants.
Highlights
Research is a core component of the mission of U.S academic medical centers (AMCs), but its viability in the 21st century has been threatened by a progressive decline in extramural funding
From 2010 to 2017, the Brigham Research Institute (BRI) awarded a total of 354 grants totaling over $9 million through six intramural funding mechanisms, supported by institutional resources and generous contributions from private donors
These six funding programs reflect an intentional blend of award size and focus (Table 1)
Summary
Research is a core component of the mission of U.S academic medical centers (AMCs), but its viability in the 21st century has been threatened by a progressive decline in extramural funding. In inflation-adjusted dollars, appropriations from the National Institutes of Health have stagnated since peaking in 2003, and over the same period, the success rate for R01-equivalent awards has declined by about a third [1]. These trends have made it difficult for physician-scientists [2] and other AMC researchers to initiate and advance their careers. In response to this burdensome extramural funding environment, many AMCs provide intramural research funding to schools, departments, and individual investigators.
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