Notice Number: NOT-OD-08-036
Key Dates:
Release Date: January 28, 2008
Issued by:
National Institutes of Health
This Notice provides guidance about the NIH Fiscal Operations Plan for
FY2008 and it implements the FY 2008 Congressional action that provided NIH
with $29.2 billions or 1 percent more than FY 2007 funding. The NIH will
continue to manage its portfolio of investments in biomedical research as
described in the FY 2007 Fiscal Policy Notice (see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-07-030.html
and http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not-od-07-049.html).
This includes continuing to address the need for a highly productive pool of
researchers by providing support for new investigators and sustaining
established investigators, who have little or no additional research
support.
The following NIH fiscal policies are instituted in
FY2008:
Non-Competing Research Awards: The FY 2008 appropriation as specified in
P.L. 110-161 provides NIH a 1 percent inflation allowance to NIH investments in
research supported by research grants. Implementation requires a reduction to
previously established commitments, based on a 3 percent inflation allowance.
Accordingly, each Institute and Center (IC) will use its own discretion to
allocate the adjustment among its non-competing research grants (modular and
non-modular) to ensure compliance with the 1 percent inflation allowance
provided in its FY 2008 committed level. Future year commitments will be
adjusted accordingly, as consistent with the FY 2007 fiscal policy. This policy
does not apply to Career Awards, SBIR/STTRs, and Ruth L. Kirschstein-National
Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Fellowships & Institutional
Training Grants.
Non-competing awards previously issued in FY 2008 at reduced levels will be
revised to restore funds to the level indicated above. (see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-08-001.html).
Competing Research Awards: Each NIH Institute and Center (IC) will manage
its competing portfolio using funds that have not been committed for
non-competing awards. Consistent with the FY 2008 Congressional action, the FY
2008 average cost of competing grants is allowed to increase by 1 percent over
FY 2007 when compared to similar policies. It is estimated this will allow ICs
to support the NIH investigator pool with approximately 9,700 new and competing
RPGs. The following guidelines will apply to competing research awards in FY
2008:
Maintain the number of new investigators comparable to the average
of the most recent five years.
Continue to use The NIH Director's Innovator Awards within the Common Fund
(http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-RM-08-014.html)
and NIH Pathway to Independence Awards (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-07-297.html)
as previously described.
Continue to use the NIH Directors Bridge Award Program (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not-od-07-056.html),
which provides continued but limited bridge funding to meritorious
investigators whose applications were close to the funding range of the
relevant IC and have minimal other support. This program provides NIH with a
flexible NIH-wide tool to help balance the grant cycling variation challenges
and support other approaches to sustain established grantees and first time
competing renewals. As in FY 2007, this program is designed to provide only
one-year of continued but limited funding.
Each IC will establish fiscal policies consistent with these NIH-wide
policies according to its specific scientific and programmatic imperatives.
Additional information on FY2008 Fiscal Operations, including specific funding
strategies for ICs will be posted on February 6 at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/financial/index.htm.
Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA): Funds for
stipends, tuition and training-related expenses are held at FY 2007 levels (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-07-057.html).
Questions about specific awards may be directed to the Grants Management
Specialist identified in the Notice of Award.
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