As part of the NIH Reform Act, changes will be made in the way graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are reported on training and research awards. These changes will provide NIH, Congress and the public with a more complete picture of NIH research training and the research workforce supported by NIH.
Training Awards
For years, the NIH has been maintaining a comprehensive collection of data on students and postdoctoral fellows supported by the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) and other programs that permits career outcome studies and other analyses.
Effective October 1, institutions who receive NRSA and other NIH training awards must provide, in their annual progress reports and competing applications:
- the percentage of students admitted for study who successfully attain a doctoral degree and
- the average time for such students between the beginning of graduate study and the receipt of a doctoral degree (NOT-OD-09-141).
In addition, the NIH Reform Act requires that institutions provide this same information to all applicants to doctoral programs supported by NIH training awards. This information will permit prospective graduate students to compare completion rates and time to degree between programs. NIH has adopted a new Graduate Student Assurance associated with providing this information (NOT-OD-09-141). These new reporting and assurance requirements apply only to institutions that receive any of the following for the doctoral training of graduate students: D43, TU2, T15, T32, T37, T90, U2R, U90, and U54/TL1.
Research Awards
Beginning with annual progress reports due October 1, NIH grantees are required to report all personnel who participate in a project for at least one-person month, including those in a postdoctoral role (NOT-OD-09-139). This information will provide a better understanding of how graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty, and other personnel contribute to NIH-funded research.
In addition, those in a postdoctoral role must have eRA Commons accounts (NOT-OD-09-140). Establishing a Commons account is an essential first step for postdoctorates and early stage investigators as they prepare to apply for an NIH fellowship, career development award or research grant.
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